Seasons Change
by skygirl55
Summary: When Johanna Beckett wins a contest to meet her favorite writer, Richard Castle, she's thrilled. Oppositely, her daughter simply doesn't see the appeal. One simple meet becomes the catalyst for a series of events none of them could have foreseen. Caskett AU. Castle Summer 2016 Ficathon Entry.
1. March

_When Johanna Beckett wins a contest to meet her favorite writer, Richard Castle, she's thrilled. Oppositely, her daughter simply doesn't see the appeal. One simple meet becomes the catalyst for a series of events none of them could have foreseen. Castle Summer 2016 Ficathon Entry._

* * *

 _The format of this story is a little different but was for me challenging and interesting. There will be 12 chapters, each taking place on one day in one month of a year._

 _Thank you to Angie dtrekker for my awesome fic art!_

* * *

 **March 22nd**

"Oh my goodness—this is just so exciting! I can't believe we're finally here!" Johanna Beckett gushed and grabbed on to her daughter's arm as they stepped into the well-lit private side room of a midtown Manhattan eatery. The room held a dozen high-top tables each with three chairs. They were lined with white tablecloths and a small white vase each of which contained a single pink or purple flower. At the back of the room sat a longer, shorter table also adorned in white. Instead of seating, it had chaffing dishes and silver trays, presumably holding the hors d'oeuvres for the event.

"We're going to meet Richard Castle in-" She paused to glance at her watch and emitted a happy squeak upon doing so. "-nine minutes!"

Kate glanced over at the woman whose steely lawyerly stare was once infamous across the five boroughs. "Calm down, Mom." She sighed and tucked her sunglasses into her shoulder bag. "He's just a person."

"I know that…" Johanna said in a tone that only sounded half convinced. "But it's Richard Castle! And he'll be here—right here."

"Yes, I know." Kate sighed, leaning her elbow against a nearby table and scanning her eyes around the room. Honestly, she could not even begin to fathom the number of times she'd heard the name "Richard Castle" during chats with her mother in the prior six weeks—ever since the contest winners were announced. His name peppered every non-work-related conversation, every shared meal. At first, it was sweet. Her mother was not that excitable of a person. At least, Kate had never seen her swoon so dramatically before. But as the event grew closer, she found it harder and harder not to scream, "Enough already!"

Johanna clicked her tongue with irritation. "I just don't understand why you're not even a little bit excited. Don't you want to ask him things? Hear about his inspiration? Motivation?"

Kate shrugged. To be entirely honest, she never saw the appeal in meeting celebrities whether they were actors, singers, or writers, like Castle was. This was perhaps in part because her only previous experience in meeting a well-known singer at a shopping mall when she was thirteen had gone horribly awry when she'd been overwhelmed by the vocalist's rudeness. Still, to her celebrities were just regular people. They could be horrible or nice or fall anywhere in between but she didn't have a strong desire to find out for herself where many of them fell on the spectrum.

For most of her adult life, Kate thought her parents felt the same—at least, until her mother forwarded the email for the Meet Richard Castle contest. The rules were simple enough: five lucky fans would win an opportunity for an afternoon with the writer. They could enter once per day for the two week duration of the contest and all that was needed was their name and an email address. Her mother's email stated that she had entered and Kate should too so they could double their chances as each of the five winners was allowed to bring one guest. Kate had entered a handful of times, but only at her mother's prompting.

Low and behold a week after the contest closed Kate was munching on her mid-afternoon snack of mixed nuts when she heard her mother scream from inside her office. Concerned it was another rat seeking refuge from the winter chill, she hurried inside only to find her mother clapping her hands with glee and proclaiming, "I won, Katie! I won! We're going to meet Richard Castle!"

Kate was, of course, genuinely happy for her mother seeing as Johanna had wanted this so much, and she insisted that she did not need to be her guest; her mother could choose another one of her Castle-fan friends to attend, but Johanna said she wanted to share this event with her daughter. How could she say no to that?

"I don't know, Mom. What if he's a jerk? Won't that ruin his books for you?"

Johanna laughed as though her daughter had asked what would happen if the writer showed up sporting floppy ears and a tail. "He's not a jerk, Kate. I've seen his interviews; he seems like a very nice man."

Kate opened her mouth to counter her mother's statement with the argument that he could have been putting on a front for the interview, but then thought better of it. She wouldn't spoil the illusion for her mother. If Castle was going to do that, he'd have to do it for himself.

* * *

As the minutes ticked down the other contest winners arrived: six women, all of whom appeared her mother's age or older, and one man, who kept a navy blue baseball cap low over his eyes. Kate immediately wondered if that was due to nerves or shame that he was the only male fan of the bunch—not to mention the only one who did not appear to have brought a "plus one."

Promptly at two p.m., a representative from Castle's publisher, Black Pawn, stepped into the room to announce the man of the hour and to pass out the signed copies of his latest novel, _Storm Fall_ , to each of the attendees. When the blonde woman stepped aside, the writer entered the room to a round of soft gasps and applause from five of the nine attendees.

Despite being first in the room, Kate and her mother were at the end of the receiving line. As Kate watched her mother wring her hands and continually straighten the collar of her shirt, she felt the odd sensation of being a teenager again—half her actual age—and fearful that her parent would embarrass her by saying something inappropriate or awkward. Fortunately, that had not actually happened during her youth, but that didn't erase the anxiety.

As the writer drew nearer, Kate took him in. He didn't look much different than he did in the photo on the back of his novels. The corners of eyes had a few more lines, his temples dotted with freckles as though he'd just escaped the New York winter in favor of a sunnier destination. Mostly, though, his size surprised her. He was quite tall—over six foot easily—and had surprisingly broad shoulders, qualities which could not be easily discerned by a two inch square photograph.

"Hello, what's your name?"

Kate witness her mother giggle— _giggle!_ —when she shook hands with the writer. Knowing she was close enough for them to see her, she fought the urge to roll her eyes. Honestly! He was _just_ a person.

"Johanna Beckett. It's so nice to meet you, Mr. Castle."

"Johanna. It's nice to meet you and please call me Rick."

Kate switched her gaze from her mother's joy-filled face to that of the writer just at the same time as he was looking at her. She met his sky blue eyes and felt her heart seize in her chest. Which was—oh—very unexpected. For fifteen seconds they stared at one another, their gazes never moving until he blinked and turned to her mother. "And, ah, who is this? Your younger sister, I imagine."

Johanna chortled and shook her head. "My daughter, Kate."

Kate extended her hand and prepared for her well-perfected, professional lawyerly greeting, but when the man's hand slipped into hers she felt her wrist go limp and a shiver go up her spine. Strange. She quickly shook off the feeling and said, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Castle. I enjoy your books."

He released her hand and gave her a nod. "Thank you; that's always nice to hear." Shifting his eyes back to her mother, the writer asked, "So what is it that you ladies do?"

"We're both lawyers. We have a nonprofit legal aid office."

The writer looked between them for a moment, his expression surprised. Then, a grin broke out on his face. "Mother and daughter saving the world one case at a time—I love it and I definitely want to talk more about it!" With that, he excused himself and walked towards the other guests now clustered around the table displaying the food.

Johanna nudged her daughter with her elbow. "There, see—he was very nice."

Kate shook her head. "I didn't expect him to not be nice. We're contest winners. What's he going to do? Walk in and tell us we're idiots? But it's just so…fake."

Johanna planted her right fist at her hip. "How do you know he's not genuinely nice?"

Kate merely shrugged and switched her purse from her right shoulder to her left.

Stepping around to face her daughter and momentarily ignoring the celebrity in the room, Johanna asked, "What's gotten into you today, Katie? You haven't been this cynical since you signed those divorce papers. Ah, it is him, isn't it?" she asked when her daughter's upper lip twitched involuntarily.

"Yes," Kate said, her fist closing a bit tighter around the strap of her purse. "Chris texted me this morning to ask if I'd seen his SCUBA mask." She threw her hands up and shook her head. "Because that's something I wouldn't have noticed lying around my apartment in the past nine months."

"Did you have it?"

"Of course not. Unless he somehow snuck it into the boxes of my old law books, which I didn't look through, I don't have it. If he needs to SCUBA while on a vacation with what's-her-name he can buy himself a new damned mask."

Johanna sucked in a breath. "Careful, dear; you sound a bit jealous."

Kate let out a bark of laughter. "Jealous? Absolutely not—just annoyed."

Very annoyed, in fact. The last thing she wanted to do was be up practically before the sunrise on a day she did not have to be in the office or on a courtroom. Yet, there she had been, peacefully drifting in and out of slumber when her phone chirped three times in quick succession. She'd lazily reached for it, but upon seeing the name of her ex-husband flash on the screen her blood had begun to boil. She had not heard one single word from him since their last meeting at the divorce attorney nearly ten months earlier. Not one single word! Well, okay, he had posted "Happy Birthday" on her Facebook wall in November, but did not exactly count as communication. Not that she minded—with the way things ended they were better off.

"Chris simply isn't in my life anymore and I'd like to keep it that way."

Johanna nodded. "Fair enough, but could you at least pretend like you're having a good time—for me?"

A genuine smile crossed Kate's face. "Sure Mom."

* * *

After stepping away from the nice though slightly peculiar male fan in the room, Richard Castle's gaze fell directly on the woman standing off to the side, her elbows propped on the top edge of the table, her eyes on the Blackberry in her hands. His eyes drank her in: black knee-high boots, dark jeans delightfully snug across her backside, cream colored sweater. Her hair fell to her shoulders in a color that strayed towards chestnut brown but definitely had hints of auburn when the natural light hit it. She was gorgeous. She was mysterious. Simply put: he was intrigued.

For the prior ninety minutes Castle had barely a moment to himself, which was perfectly fine; he knew that from the moment he agreed to the meet-and-greet. Eight of his fans had come up to him, thanked him for his time, praised him and he appreciated their accolades greatly. Yet, he remained curious as to the ninth in the room and why she hadn't been lined up with the others. Sure, it could have been explained away as shyness, but he doubted that was the case, particularly not after speaking with her mother.

Deciding to find out for himself, Castle walked over to her, stood a foot away and cleared his throat. "Am I boring you?"

The woman jumped and her phone clattered on the table. When she turned to face him, he smiled at her. Her cheeks turned pink and his smile grew wider.

"You startled me!"

"Sorry."

"No; it's fine and I, ah, apologize." She slipped her phone into the front pocket of the bag on her arm and dusted her fingertips over her forehead. "I received a message from a client."

He shook his head. "No apology needed; your clients depend on you I'm sure. I was speaking to your mother about your work—it's fascinating."

From the moment he heard about it, he envisioned it. Mother and daughter toiling late into the night surrounded by volumes and volumes of musty-smelling law books. They took on case after case, doing all that they could, occasionally even sacrificing commitments in their personal life. After speaking with the elder Beckett, Castle realized his musings were not far off. With little more than a ten minute conversation he came to the conclusion that both women were extraordinary. "She speaks very highly of you."

Kate let out a light laugh and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, she's my mother."

He bobbed his head as it was certainly customary for parents to be prideful when it came to their children. Unfortunately, his own experiences didn't fit the mold. "Yes, but if that were my mother, she'd be pointing out all the articles that criticized my last book and would say, 'See, Richard; there's always room for improvement.'"

Kate let out a laugh and his heart swelled. "She sounds fun."

He sighed and rested his forearm against the table beside them. "Oh she's a trip. May I make an observation?" He waited for her affirmation and when she gave it he said, "I find it interesting that you're the only person here who has not actively sought me out this afternoon, yet you're the person I wished to speak with the most."

Her eyes grew wide. "Me? Why?"

Though he could have probably listed a dozen reasons, he went with the two at the top of his list. "You're beautiful and interesting."

The blush in her cheeks returned and she dipped her eyes for a moment before looking back to him. "That's very kind of you, Mr. Castle, but I don't think I'm all that interesting…and truth be told I didn't want to take up your time when everyone else here was so excited to speak with you."

He tilted his head to the side at her words. Despite not having many of these events, Castle had yet to meet a less than enthusiastic attendee. Curious, he asked, "Whereas you were not? It's okay; you can tell me the truth. I won't be offended."

She shook her head. "It's not that. I just meant…" Her voice drifted off and her jaw hung open for fifteen seconds before she quickly continued with, "I'm not as big of a fan as my mother. She's been talking about this for weeks."

Fair enough, he thought to himself. She didn't have to worship the ground he walked on for him to be intrigued by her. So her mother was the bigger fan—that made sense. He had been given the list of contest winners and Johanna's name had been on it. Kate was the guest, which was perfectly all right, but he could not help but wonder how familiar she was with his works. "May I ask you something else?"

"Sure."

"What's your favorite book of mine?"

She laughed. "Um…I'm not sure."

"Just pick one. One of the Derrick Storms, perhaps?" Castle liked asking his fans to choose a favorite novel of his; it was a litmus test of sorts. Which book the fan chose was not as important to him as why they chose it. Their reasoning typically gave him good insight into what sort of person they were—or so he'd found in his experience. For instance, he found a high correlation between the women who preferred the relationship between Storm and Clara Strike and women who spoke very little in his presence and seemed, for lack of a better term, star struck. Those who favored his early works tended to be the most interesting to talk to, and he generally found those that listed _Hell Hath No Fury_ as their favorite to be those he didn't want to interact with for too long.

He watched the lovely woman's face contort into a cringe and she confessed, "I'm sorry I haven't read those but, um, _Flowers for Your Grave_ is really good. I read that one twice. I though the surprise twist at the end was very good and the plot worked very well—even on the second time around."

He bobbed his head. With only one of his works earlier than _Flowers_ Castle's theory had been confirmed once again. "Thank you. And thank you for your honesty."

She glanced away from him and when she turned back she was scraping her teeth over her bottom lip. "See, this is why I didn't want to waste your time."

"This wasn't a waste; far from it." He promised. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Beckett"

She accepted the hand he held out to her and shook it firmly. "You too, Mr. Castle."

Castle hummed to himself as he walked away to say his final goodbyes to the remaining party attendees. He certainly was pleased to have met Kate Beckett—and her mother. Though he suspected she may have been the slightest bit embarrassed when he put her on the spot and she was forced to confess her familiarity—or lack thereof—to his works in his mind she needn't have been. He did appreciate her truthfulness and he was still equally intrigued. As he caught sight of the daughter approaching her mother, smiles on both their faces, he decided.

They would see each other again; he would make sure of it.


	2. April

_A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews & follows! I hope you continue to enjoy this story_

* * *

 **April 16th**

Kate Beckett pushed herself out of her chair and arched her back into a cat-like stretch. Rolling her head from side to side she groaned. Reading books and books full of case law never did get easier, did it?

Knowing just two cups of coffee would not get her through the remainder of the day, she stepped around her chair and sidled her way to the left of her desk. There, after stepping over 2 filing boxes, she was able to reach the door leading to the tiny office filing room slash kitchenette. She'd been sharing the petite space with her mother and their three employees for nearly a year and she was finally leaning how to navigate the cramped space without bashing her shins against every filing cabinet, stack of boxes, or protruding desk drawer. It had been a long and painful road but thankfully she'd reached the point where she had more bruise-free days than not.

Pulling open the breakroom door, Kate found her mother pouring herself mug three of coffee for that morning. Due to the tight space she had to press herself against the row of filing cabinets opposite the sink area and squeeze past her mother to reach the fridge to grab the soy milk she kept to add to her own mug. As she watched the woman beside her reach for a sugar packet, tear it open, dump it into the mug, crumple it and toss it in the under counter trash, Kate's eyes narrowed.

"What's the matter with you this morning?"

Johanna glanced at her daughter briefly before bringing her cup to her lips. "What do you mean?" After taking a sip she shook her head and grabbed a second packet of sugar to repeat her earlier process.

Kate huffed; where should she begin? First, her mother was breaking her one-cup-per-day rule. Considering that happened once a week on average, this was not too alarming; however, when combined with the fact that ever since she got in Johanna had seemed particularly distracted and forgetful, Kate was concerned. Not to mention: "You just added sugar to your coffee—twice."

"So?"

"You don't take sugar in your coffee!"

Johanna took another sip of her coffee and shrugged. When she walked out of the room, Kate hurried to finish preparing her cup before following her mother back to her office, which took all of ten steps. "Not to mention that you keep coming out of your office to look at the door. Is something going on, Mom? Did you get another one of those threatening letters? Because I can call Detective Esposito and-"

"No, no it's nothing like that." Johanna shook off her daughters concern and placed her mug on the coaster on her desk. "You're right; I am distracted, but in a good way."

"Because?"

"You'll see."

Kate became skeptical the moment her mother smiled and casually sat on the edge of her desk. Immediately, her mind flashed back to the last time her parents had tried to surprise her. Three months earlier "you'll see" had been code for "Surprise! We invited our friends and their son to the same dinner we invited you to! Gee, would you look at that? Their son is single and around your age—what a coincidence!" Needless to say, this surprise had not gone over well which struck a deep fear in her gut. "I'll see what?"

"You'll see."

"Mom-"

"Oh look, right on time!"

At her mother's chortle, Kate turned around so she could gaze through the open door to the main office. There, just inside the front door, stood a man Kate was one hundred percent convinced she would never see or speak to again in her life. He wore a blue button down beneath a leather jacket, dark jeans, black shoes, and a suspiciously broad smile. Kate blinked, half convinced her eyes were playing a trick on her but no; he was really there.

"Wha—what's he doing here?!" She sputtered out before glancing back at her mother who appeared to be smoothing down her hair and adjusting her blazer.

"I told him to stop by."

Kate's jaw dropped even further at her mother's extreme casualty. "Why? How?"

"He said he was interested in what we do; he wanted to come and see our office. Then—oh my goodness Katie you'll never believe this—he said he might want to _observe_ us. For research! Can you imagine, Katie? What if I get to be a character in his books? Your father won't believe it!"

"I don't believe it." She responded, turning back to the entryway where their guest was smiling at Rachel, their receptionist. _Richard Castle_! Seriously! Shaking her head, she turned back to her mother. "You never answered the "how" question."

Johanna merely shrugged. "Well he called me last week and-"

" _How_?" Kate emphasized. "Did you give him your number?"

She shook her head. "No, he or the people that ran that contest must have found us somehow. At any rate, he called and asked if he could stop by today and of course I told him we'd be glad to have him visit any time."

Completely at a loss for words, all Kate could manage was, "Oh."

Her mother smiled and patted her arm. As she walked out of the office she added, "Come say hello," but Kate couldn't move; she was rooted to the spot.

Richard Castle had come to visit them. Famous novelist Richard Castle had sought them out.

What was happening?

She watched her mother approach the writer and heard her laugh during their greeting. Feeling as though she was having an out of body experience, Kate still couldn't move; she was shocked.

Having the famous writer visit them at their humble office space would have been stunning enough, but truth be told Kate was almost embarrassed to come face to face with him again. Their encounter during the meet-and-greet certainly had not been one of her finer moments. Having to confess that she hadn't read any books from his most acclaimed and infamous series made her feel like a fraud, albeit a bit irrationally. It wasn't as though she hadn't read any of his books or lied about enjoying them, but she certainly had not expected to be put on the spot like that. She was more of a casual reader and not someone who knew his works by heart like her mother. Then again, Kate supposed, it was entirely possible the writer was solely interested in observing her mother—the true fan—and merely wanted to say hello to her to be polite. If that was the case, she could swallow her pride and greet him. Then, she would return to her desk, pop in her earbuds, and review cases for the rest of the morning.

* * *

"Rick, you remember my daughter Kate, don't you?"

"How could I forget?" The tall man's eyes sparkled as he held out his hand to the younger woman. "Pleasure to see you again, Kate."

"You too," she said, shaking it.

"Can we get you something to drink? Coffee perhaps?" Johanna offered. The writer politely refused. "Well, then, I'd offer to give you a tour, but this is pretty much it other than a small kitchenette and bathroom."

"An efficient space used for very hard work, I imagine." Castle observed. "How long have you been here?"

Kate stood patiently by her mother's side as Johanna explained they'd had their space in Manhattan's southern end for over five years—ever since Johanna business had grown big enough to warrant more space than the spare bedroom in her Manhattan apartment. After the move, her client base had only grown, which lead to Kate joining her mother the prior year.

Castle proceeded to ask a few questions about what their typical client was like, what sorts of cases they handled, and a general overview of the process. Knowing her mother was fully capable of answering those questions, Kate excused herself only to be stopped by the writer.

"I was actually hoping to speak with both of you about how you got started. If you don't mind?" He added with a hopeful smile. "It shouldn't take that long; I know you both have busy schedules."

"That's no problem at all, Rick." Johanna chimed in before Kate could even open her mouth. She guided Rick towards her office before turning back over her shoulder and giving her daughter a pleading look.

Kate fought the urge to roll her eyes as she followed. So much for escaping back to her desk after a quick hello. If Richard Castle wanted to interview her mother for research she had no problem with that. Actually, given how excited her mother seemed to be about it, Kate was actually happy for her. Their practice was stressful more often than not, and if this simple thing gave her mother a week or two of joy then she was all for it. Her problem was: why did she have to be involved?

Castle seemed like a nice enough guy. He had yet to outright offend her and she appreciated him for his kindness towards her mother, but the fact remained that she didn't know the man at all. She'd spoken with him for a collective five minutes and now she was supposed to what? Tell him all about her life for "research"? That did not sound appealing to her in the least, but for her mother she would suffer through it.

With three people inside Johanna's office was cramped at best, but they made it work. Kate sidled her way over to the smaller of the two mismatched guest chairs and pulled it as close to the desk as she could manage while still having enough room to sit. This gave the writer the larger albeit less comfortable chair and more space for his long legs.

Once they were all seated, Kate crossed her legs at the ankles and folded her hands in her lap while their interviewer pulled out a notepad and pen from the breast pocket of his blazer. After scribbling a few things at the top of a new page, he looked at each woman in turn and said, "I'd like to know how you go started in the industry. Johanna?"

Taking a sip from her coffee mug, Johanna chuckled. "I'm not sure it's all that interesting of a story."

The writer flashed a smile. "Everyone has to start somewhere."

Johanna then began to explain her career in the legal field. She bounced around to several different firms in her early lawyer days, but after getting married, giving birth and taking some maternity leave, she settled at a place that specialized in criminal defense. As she was most interested in the field, Johanna worked in a department that focused on appeals. She took a particular interest in cases where the victim did not have the means to procure a proper defense attorney and thus did not have the best trial possible. In doing so, she ended up working with many of the firm's pro bono clients.

"Which is how you ended up here, I imagine." Castle smiled at her.

"Not quite." She continued. "A few years in to doing that I ran into a case with a lot of…complications and extenuating circumstances, shall we say. It was an eye opener for me and really changed my perspective on how I wanted my career to continue. That's when I left that firm and started my own; I wanted to fight for the people who didn't get a voice in the legal system because of finances or the circumstances of their life."

"A very noble goal." Castle nodded to her before turning to her daughter, smile still on his face.

"Ah, well." Kate cleared her throat and sat up a bit straighter. "My story is even less interesting I'm afraid. I went to Stanford, got my degree, came back to the city and started in the DA's office."

The writer's brow lifted and he leaned his body forward in his seat. "The DA's? So the other side of the aisle?"

Kate's brow wrinkled. The writer made her career choice sound quite scandalous—as though she and her mother were on the same case: one the defense attorney, one the prosecuting as they battled it out, but that could not have been further from the truth. By the time Kate emerged from law school, her mother had her own practice. Even then, she didn't actually go to trial for over a year after starting as a district attorney.

"While technically my mother worked as a defense attorney and I started as a prosecuting one I believe you're making the situations too black and white, Mr. Castle. We were never actually in opposition."

"Sure, but wasn't it difficult to switch from being a prosecutor to what you do here? You're now keeping people out of jail instead of putting them in it."

Kate's eyes narrowed at him. Did he really think they were sleazy cheap-TV-advertisement lawyers who would use every loophole in the book to get their obviously guilty client a not guilty verdict? She had seen many of those types of lawyers in her days at the DA and to be lumped in with them was downright insulting. "Our clients are not criminals, Mr. Castle; we're not keeping them out of jail, we're preventing them from wrongly going in it."

Castle leaned back in his chair. "I-I didn't mean to offend you, I just-"

"I believe what my daughter is trying to say is that you seem to be thinking of defense and prosecuting attorneys in terms of very high stakes, felony offenses. We deal with pretty low-level stuff here." Johanna clarified.

The writer nodded. "My mistake; I apologize."

Kate nodded, though tersely, now more ready than ever to complete their interview. "To answer your original question: it is slightly different, but both still involve researching a lot of case law and filling out a lot of paperwork. Speaking of, I really should be getting back to my desk." To emphasize the fact that she was done with their discussion, Kate stood from her chair. Unfortunately, it would have been impossible for her to escape the office in their current seating arrangement without climbing over her mother's desk or the writer's lap, neither of which seemed advisable.

Fortunately, Castle didn't need any more cues. He stood and stepped aside so she could pass. Then, much to her surprise and annoyance, he also followed her out the door. "I really don't want to take up any more of your time; I understand that you're busy, but if I do have more questions would you mind if I stopped by and asked?"

It took all Kate's internal strength not to outwardly show her annoyance. She had to remind herself twice that she was doing all of this for her mother's happiness before she was able to coax a polite expression onto her face. "I…I suppose that would be okay, but I'd like some warning."

The writer glanced back at Johanna's office before locking eyes with Kate, a tentative expression on his face. "She didn't tell you I was coming?"

Kate let out a breathy laugh and folded her arms over her chest. "Ah, no; she wanted to surprise me."

He hummed. "And from your tone I imagine you're not all that fond of surprises so maybe I should apologize."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault Mr. Castle." Truly it wasn't. He had not come there with the intention to annoy her or offend her; rationally, she knew that. And, most likely, if her mother had even given her a day to mentally prepare she probably would have been in a better state to handle his presence. As it was, though, she had a meeting with a new client at noon and she needed to prepare.

"You can just call me Castle and don't worry; next time we see each other I'll make sure you know in advance." With that, he gave her a polite nod and walked back into her mother's office.

* * *

Sitting at the desk in his loft apartment's office Richard Castle reclined back in his seat with his feet propped up on the edge of the desk. Between his thumb and index fingers he held the business card of Katherine Beckett, Esq. Just the name was enough to send shivers down his spine.

 _Kate._

From the moment he'd shaken her hand at his fan event the prior month he'd hardly been able to get her out of his head. From waking up to falling asleep, visions of her green-brown eyes, her soft smile, and the way she tucked her hair behind her ears filled his head. He was captivated by her. Even more amazingly, she had provided him with the perfect idea for his next book.

The story had potential—oh my, yes it did. So much so that his fingers were already buzzing with anticipation at typing out the tale, but the story wasn't complete yet; not even close. To fully formulate the tale of a female DA turned defense attorney he needed to do more research. Research was always key in developing a new character that he hoped would spawn a series of novels not just one.

Flipping through the pages of his notebook he found his discussion with the Beckett women to be satisfactory for a first interview, but he needed more. To develop the series fully, interviews wouldn't be enough; he needed to shadow as shadowing always led to his best characters.

Johanna would be up for shadowing—he was sure of it—but Kate? Her reaction to his presence wasn't as positive as he'd hoped, though to be fair it had been sprung on her. Perhaps after visiting their law offices a few more times her comfort level with him would grow and she would allow him to see the inner workings of her job.

He could feel it in his bones—through his writer's intuition. Kate was it—they key to unlocking what he hoped would be the greatest story of his life. It was only a matter of getting her to come along for the ride.


	3. May

**May 7th**

"I just can't thank you enough for this, Kate. Really."

Kate glanced over at the genuine smile on the face of the man beside her and fought the urge to snarl. In that moment there was no rational reason for her to be angry at him. His sentiments were genuine, she knew that, yet all she wanted to do was punch him—and it was barely mid-day!

She was trying—she was really, really trying—but how was it possible for one adult man to be this damned annoying? How did he have an uncanny ability to push every single one of her buttons?

It was PMS; it had to be PMS. At least, in part.

"Ah, yeah." She said as they descended into the nearest subway entrance to catch a train to Hell's Kitchen for Kate's next client meeting. "I'm not sure how I'm showing you anything different than my mom but…"

"Oh don't worry," he said, swiping his Metro card at the turnstile beside her, "it's helping."

Kate shook her head as they made their way to the arriving car, still not quite sure she believed him, but having no evidence he was lying. For the prior three weeks Richard Castle had become a regular figure in her office—much to her shock and disbelief. He visited them an average of three times a week, staying anywhere from an hour to nearly half the day. For the most part, he stayed in Johanna's office, though she had seen him sitting with their three employees for an hour each.

Every time he showed up, Kate thought the exact same thing: surely, this will be the last time we see him. How much research did he need to do, anyway? Granted she was not an author and had no idea how his process worked, but honestly—their manor of operations was more or less the same for every client. Yet, he continued to come back.

In asking her mother about what was going on, Kate found out that not only did he spend several hours with her during the day, but he'd also eaten dinner with her parents—twice. Evidently, during the meals Castle explained that his new character development process was a slow one and could go on for months. To this, Kate merely laughed—what else was there to do? The entire situation was completely ridiculous, but as it made her mother happy, she simply chose to accept it and watch it from afar.

For the most part, Kate's interactions with the writer had been minimal. Save the first day he visited them, they mostly only exchanged greetings. They'd only had two other brief conversations: one about how frustrating the city became during torrential downpours and another about her casual attire when she was going to an afternoon Met's game with a former coworker. Until two days earlier.

Three days earlier, Kate was on her way out of the office when her mother stopped her and spoke the sentence that would alter the course of her week. "Tomorrow, Richard Castle is going to ask to shadow you for a day and I want you to say yes."

After squeaking out a protest, Johanna silenced her daughter by continuing with her reasons. Castle was polite, friendly and insightful. She did not have a single good reason not to do it other than her insistence upon keeping others at arm's length, "And besides," she added with a wry smile, "You might actually enjoy it—heaven forbid you have a little fun."

Thus Kate agreed solely because her mother asked her to and started that morning with a, "How bad could it possibly be?" attitude. By eleven a.m. she knew the answer.

Bad. Very, very bad.

Simply put: Richard Castle was, quite possibly, the most irritating person in the world. He asked a million questions about absurd things. He touched everything on her desk and incredibly managed to put it back in the wrong place every time. He was also somehow constantly in her way.

The last issue was not entirely his fault as the corner in which her desk was tucked did not have any room to spare. The chair he'd dragged out of her mother's office barely fit between the wall and a filing cabinet so of course he had to stand up every time she moved to go to the printer or to the bathroom. Still, it was annoying. Very annoying.

After spending the morning attempting to do paperwork and mostly failing thanks to her shadow, Kate and Castle had finally left the office for her one and only client meeting of the day. Hopefully, after they were finished, she could part ways with the writer and actually get some work done in the afternoon.

"So do you go to client's homes to meet them often?" Castle asked as they exited the subway twenty-five minutes later.

Ah, finally, she thought, a relevant question. "I wouldn't say often. Maybe twenty percent of our meetings? This particular woman, Ms. Angelino, works two jobs every day so we're meeting her between shifts because she wouldn't have time to go to our office."

The writer nodded and scribbled a few words down in his notebook. "That's very kind of you. And what type of case does she have?"

"A wrongful termination suit against her former employer."

"Got it."

* * *

Twenty minutes later Kate and her temporary partner sat on a well-worn sofa in Ms. Angelino's cramped and cluttered apartment. Due to the reduced structure of the furniture piece, the middle sagged quite heavily and as a result Kate was forced to sit completely up against the writer's leg. At first, this jumped to the top of her Things Annoying Me Today list, but once her client began to talk about the case she forgot about it and entered what her father always called Full Lawyer Mode.

Unquestionably, Ms. Angelino's tale was an unfortunate one. Kate guessed the woman was in her mid-forties, perhaps a little older, but she was still quite attractive with pale skin and dark hair and eyes. She was widowed and had no family and thus only had herself to depend on for support. She had worked at her previous employer for fifteen years before a restructuring in the company caused a change in management. She feared she would lose her job but was assured she would not. Unfortunately, when her new boss took the helm the entire office atmosphere changed. From the first day he was prone to making inappropriate comments, making her and others uncomfortable. At one point, he heavily implied they should see each other outside the office for events of a salacious nature. When Ms. Angelino politely declined, she received her termination notice the next day.

Her client being fired for refuting the inappropriate advances of her new boss certainly struck a chord within Kate. This was the exact type of case she started working with her mother for. The woman was terminated for a completely invalid reason which resulted in a loss of income and affiliated stress and hardship; she deserved justice.

"Ms. Angelino I do think we have a good case here." After the woman gave her a gracious expression, Kate continued, "What I'm going to do is go back to the office and write up a contract. With it will be our fee structure."

"Do you, um," Ms. Angelino paused to wring her hands around the tissue she clutched, "have a payment plan?"

Kate bobbed her head. "We do offer several payment plans for our clients, but most do start with a deposit."

"I…then, I suppose I'm sorry to have wasted your time, Ms. Beckett; I don't believe I'll be able to pay."

Kate pressed her lips together. This was not the first time she had heard that sentence from a client nor, she knew, would it be the last. She and her mother tried to do what they could for their clients, but unfortunately for Ms. Angelino, suits against former employers tended to be more expensive than simple criminal offences.

Before Kate could open her mouth to explain this, Castle jumped in and said, "That's okay; don't worry about the cost."

Though she knew it was unprofessional, Kate couldn't stop herself from glaring at the writer. What the hell was he doing? They had specifically discussed this before going inside! He was to observe only and not speak unless directly spoken to. Now he'd put her in a predicament with the client— _in front of_ the client, no less.

Trying her best to save face, Kate cleared her throat and stood. "I'll have that contract to you by Monday, Ms. Angelino. Have a good rest of the day." With that, she grabbed the sleeve of the writer's jacket and dragged him back out into the hall as though he were her misbehaving child. Once they were in the stairwell and out of earshot of the client, she hissed at him, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Um…following you?"

His tone of general confusion only succeeded in annoying her further. "No! Back there! I told you not to speak to the client!"

"Oh! I was helping," he said with a smile.

She growled. "No. you weren't. You just made a promise I can't keep; that's the opposite of helping."

Castle's brow wrinkled. "But you mother said you do take on some pro bono clients."

She nodded with a sigh. "Yes, we have in the past but we can't right now. The fund we use to pay for their expenses is almost dry." God love her mother for wanting to do right by people—for wanting to give everyone a voice. Unfortunately, doing so always came with a price. They did what they could—Kate took just enough salary to live on and her mother took even less, but they had other employees that needed paid at a competitive rate and unfortunately the lower paying clients had outweighed the ones paying a standard rate in recent months.

"I wish that wasn't the case but, honestly, I don't see that changing anytime soon. We can't help anyone if we go out of business."

When they reached the street level, he stepped in front of her and nodded. "I completely understand. You have a business and employees to think about so let me help; I'll cover her legal fees."

Kate exhaled and dusted her fingers over her brow. Okay, that was not exactly what she was expecting or what she was implying. "That's very generous of you, Castle, but completely unnecessary."

"But…without me, you won't be able to take Ms. Angelino's case, right?"

"Castle, you shouldn't feel personally responsible for-"

"But that's true right?"

Unable to argue otherwise, Kate nodded. "If she can't pay, then yes."

The writer smiled. "So I'll cover it. No big deal, really. And hey—I'll even pay in advance. Let me get my checkbook and I'll meet you back at the office in an hour."

"Castle that really isn't…" But Kate's voice drifted off; he was already hurrying off in the other direction. On the bright side, at least she'd get to take the subway back in peace and quiet.

* * *

"Ah, excuse me? Johanna?" Castle rapped his fingers against the office doorway of the elder Beckett woman. When he arrived back at the law offices he intended to give the check right to Kate, but she wasn't at her desk. Not sure where she was, but still wanting them to have the money as soon as possible, Rick turned to the business matriarch figuring she'd happily accept his check.

"Rick…I hear you and Kate had a successful meeting. C'mon in."

The writer nodded and ducked inside her office. In the month they'd been getting to know each other, Castle had really grown to like the elder woman. She was smart and savvy and he could see her being one hell of a powerful force in a courtroom, but she was also kind and had an incredible moral compass as far as he could tell. He also appreciated meeting a motherly-like figure who was delightfully sane; that was such a refreshing change from his own experiences.

"Not sure if Kate told you or not but I put my foot in my mouth a little bit during the meeting."

"Uh oh," Johanna said with a half laugh.

"See, I didn't realize you weren't currently able to take on any pro bono clients and I kind of promised to cover the woman's legal fees so, ah, if you could just tell me the exact name to write check out to…" he said, gesturing with his checkbook, a pen already in his hand.

"Oh Rick that's not neces-"

He shook her off. "Kate said the same thing, but I insist."

The elder woman nodded. "It's 'Beckett & Beckett, LLC' and that really is quite generous of you. I'm sure Kate's client will…." Johanna's voice drifted off when the writer passed over the check. She stared at it for a solid twenty seconds before turning to him and asking, "Rick, how big of a case do you think this is?"

Rick chuckled. He had purposely tacked an extra zero on to the end of the number he estimated for Ms. Angelino's expenses. "I know that will more than cover the current case—the rest is for your pro bono fund."

Her jaw dropping another half inch, Johanna's eyes turned back to the check and she began shaking her head slowly. "I really don't think I can accept."

"Please. I want to. I've seen what you do here, the difference you make and this way you can help more than just Ms. Angelino."

"Oh Rick—I…I don't know what to say!" Johanna gushed, clutching the check to her chest. She hurried around her desk and threw one arm around the larger man's shoulders. "Thank you—thank you so much I—Katie! Katie come in here!"

Pleased that he'd made her so happy, Castle stepped back and allowed Johanna to hurry out of her office and meet up with her daughter in the narrow hallway. When Johanna thrust the check under her nose, Kate's initial reaction to the check was clear shock, but did not turn to happiness as Johanna's had. Weirdly, she almost seemed annoyed.

"Are you insane?" Kate demanded. "We cannot accept thirty thousand dollars from you."

The writer shrugged. "Sure you can. You said your pro bono fund was dry; now it should be very, very wet."

"But!"

When Kate's protest turned into nothing but stammering, her mother stepped in and grabbed on to Rick's arm. "We really cannot thank you enough. If there's anything we can do for you, please don't hesitate..."

Rick smiled warmly. Ah, this was his opportunity. "It's my pleasure and a small way of saying thank you for your time. Perhaps, though, you wouldn't mind if I shadow both of you just a little bit longer?"

Was his payment a bribe? Maybe a little bit. In all honesty, if the Beckett women no longer wanted him to show up at their office or felt he was getting in the way of their work he would respect their wishes and still let them keep the money. He didn't want to do that though; thus far, shadowing them had been quite inspirational for him and the character of Nikki Heat was really beginning to take shape in his mind.

"Of course! Of course! For as long as you need." Johanna promised. Then, after squeezing his arm again, she went back into her office.

Rick smiled over at Kate, but she appeared to be assessing him to determine if he was guilty or not—of what he wasn't sure, so he simply asked. "What's wrong?"

She folded her arms over her chest. "I guess I'm just not sure I understand why you're doing this."

Ah, he thought, the perfect opportunity to get her to kick her heels off—so to speak—and dig down into the real Kate Beckett—not the professional Katherine Beckett he'd been in the presence of thus far. "Then how about we get to know each other a bit better? Want to grab a drink after you're done here?"

Kate let out a breathy noise of skepticism. "You mean after we just spent the entire morning together?"

He shrugged. "Just one drink? We can meet up at say…six?"

She stared him down for a solid thirty seconds before shrugging. "Fine, one drink, but given your generous donation I feel that I should be the one paying."

He smiled and fought the urge to leap with glee; he loved when he won. "Whatever makes you feel comfortable, Kate."

* * *

"So…why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?" Castle asked as they slid into a booth in the back of one of his favorite bar's in the city: _The Old Haunt_. Had he stacked the deck in his favor that evening? Oh, just a little bit. His bar of choice, the booth that had his picture on the wall, his favorite single malt….yes it was a recipe for a Richard Castle success. Hopefully once the liquor wiped the skeptical look off his companion's face he would succeed.

Castle knew he could not begin to write his new character's inaugural tale without first fully developing her. Doing research on cases and the inner workings of a law firm was certainly helpful, but that did not help him answer the questions: Who _was_ Nikki Heat? What made her tick? Why did she do the things she did? Only Kate could assist in formulating the answers to those questions.

Swirling her drink the lovely lawyer countered with, "I thought I was getting to know you better."

Oh, right, that was part of the agreement wasn't it? Perhaps he needed to be a bit smoother. "Fair enough. I have a daughter, but I think you know that, right?" He paused to allow her to confirm and she did; he thought she had been standing there during one of his conversations with Johanna about Alexis. "I have custody of her; she lives with me full time and so does my mother since he last ex-husband stole all her money."

"What?!" Kate half-choked, half-gasped.

Castle shook his head at her. "Yeah that's a story for another time…" More like multiple stories for multiple days; there would be absolutely no way of fully explaining Martha Rodgers in any less time.

Eyes wide, Kate turned back to her drink and sipped. "You and Alexis's mother are divorced, I'm assuming."

He chuckled and fought the urge to scream, "Thank god!" "Yep, over a decade now. I also have another ex-wife, but that divorce is more recent." More recent and more painful—financially speaking.

The writer watched as his companion tapped her fingers against her glass and chewed on her bottom lip for several moments before confessing, "I'm, ah, divorced," as though it was a felony offense.

Delighted, Castle sat up a bit straighter. Now they were getting somewhere! Common ground was absolutely his way in. "Excellent!" he said a bit too cheerfully. This earned him a half-horrified, half-offended expression from her so he quickly backtracked. "I mean not excellent obviously, but it's something we have in common. Is your divorce recent?"

"About a year."

Oh yes there was definitely regret in her tone and a touch of defeat. Kate did not wear an expression of the "Thank god I'm free!" variety and he hazarded to guess she hadn't run out of the divorce attorney's office ready to break into song like he had sixteen months earlier, which led him to one conclusion. "Judging by your expression I'm going to go out on a limb and say you didn't leave him."

She huffed out a snide, "No," before taking a long swallow of the amber liquid. "After three years of marriage Chris decided our relationship was boring and he found someone else."

Ah, something else he could relate to. Though, as it was one of his more horrible experiences, this common ground was not something that excited him. Instead, he sympathized and said softly, "I'm sorry to hear that. Both my wives cheated on me."

Her eyes flicked up to his and her mouth twisted to the side. "Guess that's something else we have in common."

He heard it in her tone and saw it on her face. Though twelve years had passed, the feeling was still quite familiar: failure. The months following the demise of his first marriage were rough for him. Thank god for Alexis; his need to care for her was instrumental in his recovery. For Kate he imagined it was her work. If she had been divorced about a year, that meant she had started with her mother's firm around the same time. The pieces of the puzzle that was her story were beginning to fall into place, but that was not the most important thing for Castle in that moment. "It wasn't you, you know?"

She looked at him surprised, as though he'd just confessed a terrible secret. "Excuse me?"

"It wasn't you. Took me a long time to figure that out after my first marriage, even though things were on the decline way before her affair. I played Monday morning quarterback with my entire life. What could I have said differently? What could I have done differently? And sure, there are answers to those questions – I could have handled situations better, as I'm sure you could have, but in the end Meredith and Chris made that choice on their own and we can't blame ourselves."

For the longest fifteen seconds of his life, Kate stared at him at the end of his little speech. His concern grew with each passing second—that he'd said something wrong, something that triggered a bad memory of her—that he'd said too much too personal too quickly—that he was just a complete and total idiot, but then her smile turned appreciative and she dipped her eyes and said, "Thanks Castle," and he knew he'd gotten through to her.

With a simple smile, he bobbed his head in acknowledgement. "Anytime. Now what else do you want to talk about?"


	4. June

**June 9th**

Standing in front of the office's all-in-one printer, Kate rolled her shoulders back and rotated her neck from side to side. She was all for converting as many of their files as possible to electronic storage—they had enough filing cabinets sitting around the office as her shins knew all too well—but the scanner on their copier was painfully slow—emphasis on the painful. Worse yet, because of its size restrictions it could only scan in twenty pages at a time, which was not helpful for her one hundred and thirty-five page court transcript. Typically, one of their office assistants would do the scanning, but one was on vacation and another out sick and she just couldn't stand the prospect of this small novel sitting on her desk for four more days; her desk was already cluttered enough.

Just as she plucked the final stack of fifteen pages from the printer tray, Kate heard the office door open and craned her head towards the entrance. With Rachel and Melody out, Kate was also the de facto receptionist. As the door swung open, a young girl with orange-red hair entered. She was dressed in a navy blue pleated skirt and white button-down that screamed 'school uniform'. Fitting with this initial deduction, Kate's first glimpse of her face led her to approximate the girl's age in her mid-teens at the eldest, which seemed odd. They did not often have children entering their office—particularly not those unaccompanied by adults. "Can I help you?" Kate asked of the girl as she approached, stack of documents tucked in the crook of one arm.

"Yes, this is the Beckett law firm, right? I'm here to meet my dad—Richard Castle."

A smile crossed Kate's face immediately. Of course! She should have known the moment she saw the girl's ice-blue eyes so similar to her father's. As he had occupied the seat next to her desk practically every other day for the prior month, Kate had grown quite familiar with Richard Castle's facial features and he shared more than a few with his only child. Kate had only seen one picture of Castle's daughter once before and she appeared to be about twelve in it, but it clearly was old because this girl was at least several years older.

Holding out her hand, Kate said, "Then you must be Alexis. Nice to finally meet you; I'm Kate Beckett."

The girl smiled and shook Kate's hand warmly. "I've heard a lot about you, Miss Beckett—and your mother. It's nice to meet you as well."

Kate nodded and pointed across the room to the lone office, which was really only about ten feet away. "Your dad should be in that office right there. Go ahead; I'll be over in a second."

* * *

Propped in the corner of Johanna Beckett's cramped office, Richard Castle could not have been more pleased with how his afternoon was progressing. For weeks he'd been trying to convince his daughter to meet the two new lawyers in his life. As a man raised by a single mother, Castle had a great appreciation for strong women and felt his daughter could not be exposed to enough of them. As both Becketts provided an excellent example, he was eager to get them in the same space. Unfortunately, his studious child was busy with end of the year school projects and then final exams, but the timing had finally worked out. They were all in the same space and seemingly getting along quite well.

As the size of the office prohibited a third guest chair from fitting, Castle offered his seat to his daughter and stood off to the side as the Beckett women chatted about their business and asked Alexis questions about herself, which she happily answered. Castle tried to nudge the conversation at first, but quickly found there was no need; the women were getting along well, which pleased him greatly.

Watching them laugh together, Castle realized how silly he had been for being nervous about Alexis meeting the lawyers. His daughter had always been old for her age. Most days it almost felt as though their roles were reversed and she was the adult. Also, being his daughter meant she was around many adults from the publishing industry. That combined with the fact that she'd been well spoken since she began speaking meant he should not have been anxious; yet, he was. For some reason even he did not fully understand, Castle wanted their first meeting together to go well—amazingly, if possible.

Unfortunately for his ego, the meet began to go too well around the half hour mark when Alexis began spilling embarrassing stories about her father. Castle attempted to hush her, but that only fueled her more and soon the three women were nearly breathless with laughter while Castle's ears had developed a slightly pink hue. It was then Alexis chose to make her exit as she was meeting up with friends for a movie and then dinner.

As Kate drifted back to her desk, still chuckling, Castle followed. Once seated, she placed the large stack of papers in the center of her desk in a filing box by her feet before turning to him and saying, "Your daughter is amazing. Really."

While he appreciated her words, Castle did not miss the slight upturn of her lips as she said them. "You say that like you're shocked."

A breathy laugh escaped her lips. "Well, to be honest I wasn't sure what to expect, but she's incredibly well spoken and seems very mature for her age."

He nodded. "That she is. Right now she's planning on graduating high school a year early and she's on track to do so." He shook his head as fatherly pride shone through. "She amazes me every day. I barely made it through high school and she's taking it by storm."

"Well, you should be very proud."

"I am." In fact, most days proud was an understatement. Alexis would forever be his greatest joy and accomplishment, though he honestly wasn't sure how much credit he could take for how she turned out. Probably more than he would ever allow himself to, but either way he loved her dearly and was thrilled to sit back and watch her flower into the woman she was meant to be.

After taking another minute to reflect over his wonderful daughter, Castle grabbed the petite navy blue chair he used to sit on at Kate's desk. The plastic formed seat with three air holes in back reminded him of the kind that used to be in the lunch room at his primary school. It was just one of the many odd mismatched furniture pieces that adored the Beckett offices, but one of the only ones that worked for him owing to the fact that it had no arms and thus he did not have to squeeze himself in it.

In an odd sort of way, Castle appreciated the fact that the Beckett office had absolutely no theme whatsoever when it came to their furniture and decorations. Almost every chair was a different style, only two of the five desks matched, and their filing cabinets were at least four different colors. Yet, somehow, it all contributed to one work-focused atmosphere. Their lack of attention to that sort of detail proved they devoted their time and finances to their clients and that he truly appreciated.

"You know, if you're going to sit there and stare at the filing cabinets, I'm going to put you to work filling them."

Castle's head turned quickly to see a smirk on Kate's face; it caused a similar reaction on his. Oh, so that's how she was going to play it? Okay. He was game for a little ribbing. "Really? You're putting me to work now?"

She shrugged. "We are shorthanded and you have two empty hands."

"Trust me, Kate; you don't want me working for you—I'd only create more work!" It was true. He loved to help when he could—speaking with clients, making them feel more at ease. Hell, he'd even volunteer to go out and pick up lunch or snacks or whatever else they needed, but the nitty-gritty, detailed document-related stuff? That was left best to the professionals.

"Really? And her I'd have thought as a writer knowing the alphabet in its correct order would have been pretty important."

"Ha-ha." He returned and she smiled a little broader. Then, as she turned back to her computer screen it faded and a crease in her brow appeared instead. As their silence passed the one minute mark, Castle grew a bit guilty from his joke and said, "If you really need me to help with something…"

She shook he head. "No it's fine; I was just teasing. We'll make due until Rachel gets back." She was silent for a moment before she rotated her chair to face his and asked, "Can I ask you something and get a serious answer from you?"

A serious answer? Well that _was_ a challenge; sarcasm was one of his favorite weapons to wield, but if she asked, he would of course oblige. Though he did reply with a dramatic, "I suppose," to get it all out of his system.

"Is…is all this shadowing really helping you?"

Castle nodded immediately. Thank goodness for an easy question with a very straightforward answer. "Of course; it's instrumental."

"Is it?" she questioned, her brow raised.

Castle leaned forward and rested his forearm against the very thin edge of her desk on which no paper piles sat. He couldn't say he was shocked by her question. Subjects he'd shadowed before had inquired similarly. He could see their reasoning on some level, but those people were not novelists and thus did not understand how the process worked. Castle drew inspiration and ideas from the littlest of things—things people would never reveal in an interview setting. That was why he preferred shadowing, because it led to the most organic and authentic—and thus most successful—story.

"Really, Kate it is. I promise. Observing you and your mother has really helped my book come to life."

She leaned back in her chair, her expression clearly indicating skepticism. Snagging a pen off her desk she twirled it between her index finger and thumb before saying, "You know, I don't think I've heard very much about this book."

He merely shrugged. "You never asked."

"I'm asking now."

"Okay. What would you like to know?" In truth, Castle did not like to reveal too much about his works in progress mainly because there was always the chance he would get halfway through, decided he didn't like it, and start over completely (which had happened more than a few times previously). Being that Kate and her mother were so directly related to the book, he didn't mind answering some questions, particularly if they were not directly related to the case-of-the-book which he had yet to thoroughly develop.

"Is the book going to be about a specific type of legal case?"

Castle shook his head. "No, not really. It's going to be character driven—the case will just be secondary."

"Character driven?"

"Yes, like Derrick Storm…or have you still not read those?" he teased with a wry smile.

The apples of her cheeks turning slightly pink she confessed, "No…I started the first one, but didn't finish it."

Though her tone was apologetic, he didn't mind. Perhaps, without knowing her he might have been annoyed, but after seeing all that she did, he completely understood why she did not have ample time for leisure reading. Quite frankly, he'd rather have her out helping a victim stay out of trouble with the law then becoming more intimately familiar with the life works of Richard Castle.

"Well, the first book will be about this character—she's a lawyer—and who she is and why she does the things she does. I'll show all that through the case."

Kate hummed and nodded. "So you're doing research with other lawyers too?"

"No, just you and your mom. You are, after all, the inspiration."

That time, her brow rose, when she asked, "We both are?"

"Not exactly…See, Nikki Heat is this gritty lawyer whose father was killed and the DA's office botched the trial so-"

"Wait." She stopped him mid-explanation and asked with notable displeasure, "Nikki Heat?"

Castle grinned. "Catchy, right? And think of the titles: Heat Wave. In Heat. Heat-"

"Castle!" Kate's snap pulled the writer from his musings. "Nikki Heat? No! She sounds trashy!"

He shook his head. Sassy. Sexy. Possibly a little saucy at times…but never trashy. "She's not—she's gritty. Anyway, in the beginning of the book we find out that she's also going through a divorce from her prosecutor husband who-"

"CAST—what the—no!" Kate stammered out, her rage clearly prohibiting her from completing her phrases.

He blinked at her. "No what?"

" _No_ you may not use my own personal divorce experiences—life experiences!—as fodder for your next book. Is that…god, is that why you wanted to go have drinks with me?!"

"No, Kate, of course not." He promised at her horrified-sounding tone. Truly, the evening they'd spent at _The Old Haunt_ had not been about research, but increasing their comfort level with each other. He never anticipated them bonding over their shared divorces, but it turned out well. As the night wore on, she'd told him about her ex, whom she'd met through work, and how their shared profession had been as much a part of bringing them together as it had pushing them apart. Chris, as it seemed, was focused so much on the conviction that he sometimes failed to see the broader picture.

"And yet," Kate responded, chucking her pen back onto her desk, "this story sounds suspiciously familiar."

Castle heisted before answering. Of course, as his muse, parts of her life could be seen in his story, but the facts of her divorce were only part of his inspiration. He was also drawing from his own experiences almost equally as much. Besides, there were definitely some key differences between Kate and Nikki. "Except your father is very much alive. I've met him; he's very nice."

"Castle!"

"What?" He responded, leaning away. Yep she was definitely mad now, with her eyes wide and nostrils flaring. "I'm not sure I understand why you're mad at me…I thought you realized. I thought you'd be flattered."

"FLATTERED!" She spluttered out. "Does my mother know about this?!"

"Um…" He hesitated, unsure of whether to lie, tell the truth, or choose some sort of middle ground.

"Castle!"

"Yes, she knows some of this." He relented mostly out of fear. They'd discussed it a few weeks earlier when he'd eaten dinner with the Becketts for the third time.

Kate pursed her lips together and nodded tersely. Folding her arms over her chest she asked, "And…did she think I'd be flattered?"

"Ah, no. No, she kind of thought you'd be a little mad."

"I AM MAD!" Kate bellowed.

Castle grimaced. Strictly speaking, Johanna's exact reaction was to laugh and say, "Oh, Rick, please let me be there when you tell her; she's going to hit the roof." At the time, he was just relieved Johanna hadn't been miffed he'd chose to focus on the younger Beckett for his novel than to truly believe what Johanna said about her daughter. Now, seeing that she was right, he needed to do some damage control. "Really, Kate, you shouldn't be. I assure you my intentions are purely respectful." When her rage-filled expression did not abate, he continued with a bargain. "How about this—I'll let you read part of it and if you think it hits too close to home we can come to some sort of agreement. How about that?"

She grumbled mostly, but then he heard, "I guess," and took it in stride. Standing from his seat he put the chair back against the wall and straightened his jacket. "I'll send you the chapters as soon as I get home. Have a wonderful evening, Kate." With that, he slipped out of the office before she could take her aggression out in a more physical manner.

* * *

Draining the remaining contents of her wine glass into her mouth, Kate Beckett leaned back against her sofa and stared down at the laptop screen before her. She'd spent the prior hour reading first the apologetic email sent to her by the writer and then studying the attachment of "Nikki Heat #1 [Untitled]" as though it were a case she'd be presenting in court the following day. Begrudgingly, she had to admit Castle had talent—in spades, as it seemed.

While sharing similarities with her, Nikki Heat was decidedly different from her real life counterpart. Their general facts seemed to be the same: hair color, physical stature, age, profession; however, their life experiences were decidedly different. Nikki grew up with a strained relationship with her parents, particularly after their divorce. She was just beginning to build a relationship with her father again when his murder rocked her world to its core. When a failure by the DA's office led to the guilty party going free, Nikki's future as a lawyer was set.

Kate had to admit to being disappointed when she completed the organized first three chapters and was left merely with a few snippets of dialog and an outline structure for the next two. She wanted to know more about what happened and how much of a part Nikki's ex-husband would play in the story. Thus far, he'd only been discussed and not seen.

Reading about Nikki's relationship with her ex certainly struck a chord with Kate. Nikki and Daniel were, once again, different than her and Chis. Their relationship had been a whirlwind: married after six months of dating, filed for divorce barely a year later. As time wore on it became clear they hadn't known enough about one another before they married, but the ultimate demise of their relationship stemmed from Daniel feeling Nikki became too personally involved with her cases, whereas Nikki did not feel Daniel took them personally enough.

Kate could see herself making the same decisions as Nikki had. Perhaps not the rush into marriage, but as far as her clients and cases went, which actually surprised her. Evidently Castle was one hell of an intuitive observer. By the end of the evening she was not entirely thrilled to have a story that similar to her life be on its way to being published, but the situation was certainly not as bad as she originally thought. In fact, she was looking forward to Castle completing the story so she could read it. Of course, she didn't want him to know that—at least, not right away. She could be tolerant, but she certainly didn't want to encourage him to steal more pieces of her life for Nikki. But…if he had to continue to observe her—as his email politely requested—she decided it would not be the worst thing.

* * *

 _A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews!_


	5. July

**July 31** **st**

On the last day in July, Richard Castle approached the Beckett law offices with a noticeable spring in his step. As he had spent the prior ten days at his home in the Hamptons, he had not seen either of the Beckett women for nearly two weeks and—dare he think it—he actually missed them. One, in particular.

Though he did not actually get to brighten any of his days with Kate Beckett's smile, he did carry her along with him in the form of his favorite literature character to date. His time away from the city had done him well and he had _finally_ finished off the first five chapters of _Heat Wave_ and sent them off to the publisher for approval. The next five were coming along quite well, too, and he intended to have them completed within the next month.

Castle was half a block from the law offices when he realized he was approaching empty handed. In his haste to see Kate that morning, he'd completely forgotten to pick her up a cup of coffee. He slowed his walk to a near stand-still as he weighed his options. On one hand, the smile she gave him when he placed the take-away cup down on her desk was one of his favorite things in the world and each time he saw it his heart swelled with more joy. However, perhaps given his recent absence they could change up their plans and he would take her out of the office to get that mid-morning java jolt. Assuming she didn't have a client meeting, of course.

Deciding on the second of his two options, Castle continued his approach, now even more excited. Shadowing Kate over the prior eleven weeks had far surpassed even his most hopeful desires about what the experience could be like. Simply put: she was extraordinary. Both she and her mother were, but Kate had a way about her that was indescribable. To him, it was intoxicating. Being around Kate made him happier than he had been in years, and he definitely did not want that to end any time soon.

Pulling open the door to the law offices, Castle was too distracted with the fact that he could see Kate at her desk to take note of the fact that the office seemed atypically empty and somber that morning. The receptionist sat at her desk, but she did not greet Castle when he walked by. Of course the writer didn't notice, he merely gave her a wave and headed directly to Kate.

"Good morning Kate! I ho—oh." His excitement died on his lips the moment her eyes lifted to meet his. Something was wrong; very, very wrong. "Are you okay?"

She ignored his question and said. "Hi Castle. Did you have a nice vacation?"

"Um…yes, it was…nice." Castle spoke in a distracted tone, finally taking notice of the odd tone and empty nature of the room. When his eyes fell on Johanna's dark office he asked, "Is your mother here?"

"Um, no, she won't be coming in today."

Castle's heart seized in his chest. Shit—oh god. The last time he'd seen Johanna was twelve days earlier. Had—god forbid—something happened to her in that time? Was that the event that caused the somber mood in the office? "Is she okay? Did something happen?"

Kate's eyes lifted to him again. Presumably after picking up on hid distressed tone, she shook her head. "Physically? Yeah she's fine."

Well, that was a relief, but still not an explanation. "But you don't seem very fine. C'mon I'll take you out for a cup of coffee and we can talk about it."

She gave him a lackluster smile and pushed herself up from her desk. "I'm sorry, Castle I don't have time today; I need to stay here and…and wait for the police."

Castle's heartrate spiked again. "P-police?" He scanned the room again, half expecting to see the front windows cracked or boarded up, but the office did not look out of the ordinary.

"Look, Castle, I appreciate your concern, but I really just don't have the time right now."

Her tone wasn't unkind, more exhausted, so Castle bobbed his head and took a step back from her. "Sure, I understand. This has to do with a case, I'm guessing?" When she confirmed with a nod he continued, "Well, um, maybe I could just stop by later and check in?"

She shrugged as she tip-toed her way around her desk chair and took two steps towards the breakroom. "If you want, I guess. Sorry I really-"

"No need to apologize, Kate. I completely understand. I hope your conversation with the police goes okay. I'll see you later."

With slight reluctance, Castle turned to leave the building, but once back out on the street he was unsure of where to go as he'd planned to spend his day with the Beckett women. He began walking up the street, not really sure of where he'd end up, but using the white noise of the busy Manhattan streets to allow his mind to process what just happened.

Something had happened with one of Kate or Johanna's clients and now the police were involved. Judging by the grim expression on the younger Beckett's face, whatever took place was very serious. Castle's first thought was that an angry client or former client had harmed Johanna in some way, but with Kate assuring him that her mother was physically fine, that seemed unlikely. A client could have gotten themselves into more legal trouble or—oh. A horrifying revelation hit him. What if the client had become a victim again? Yes, the wheels of his mystery writer brain were turning and that seemed quite a likely explanation.

Thus far during his shadowing, Castle had mostly seen the positive aspects of Kate's and Johanna's jobs. Seeking justice for a wronged victim. Getting someone the money they were cheated out of and desperately needed. Overturning a wrong conviction by finding new evidence. Sure, he'd seen them lose a few cases, but only after exhausting their options.

This, it appeared, was a case quite unlike the rest. A prospect like that excited the writer within him—a chance to give Nikki Heat another, slightly darker layer. A few moments after thinking that Castle was disgusted with himself. Yes, it was his nature, but this was a real case with real people and real consequences. Suddenly, shadowing the Becketts wasn't just about the research anymore.

* * *

Kate couldn't honestly say she was surprised when she spotted Castle slipping into the office shortly after four that afternoon. For a brief moment she was glad for the potential for a distraction, but then she realized he probably would not be content with her vague earlier explanation. He would want every detail, which meant she would have to go through the story again and that wasn't exactly something she wished to do. At least this round would contain fewer questions than her discussion with the police earlier that day. Then again, being that it was Castle perhaps not.

Over the prior few months Kate found her feelings towards the writer complex at best. More and more he was becoming a central figure in her life and she wasn't exactly upset about it. More confused…and still rather surprised.

Though she could hardly believe it, she'd actually come to appreciate his frequent presence if for no other reason than he made her day to day a little bit more interesting—and fun. Sure, there were times he irritated her, but as time progressed they were fewer and far between. Mostly, she appreciated how he had encouraged simple yet significant changes in the way she did her work—changes she didn't even recognize at first.

One of Kate's weaknesses in dealing with clients had always been the emotional connection element, which she knew came from her career beginning at the district attorney's office. There, limiting personal involvement with cases was paramount for lawyers; they could not let their emotions take hold of them and influence the decisions they were making. Lawyers were expected to do their job, do it well and then move on to the next case.

Being on the other side of the aisle—as Castle had put it—was different. Her clients needed to know that their case was personal to her, that she would give it all the attention it needed and be sympathetic towards them. Previously, she had treated everyone with her medicinal, by-the-book tone out of pure habit, which had not yielded the best results.

Knowing how good her mother was at interacting with clients Kate had been trying hard to get better at listening and reacting humanly and not clinically, but it was a hard transition. Much to her astonishment, Castle helped her with that. Like her mother, he was excellent at interpersonal interactions. Whenever he spoke with someone it was clear that person became his central focus for the moment; no one had to question his dedication. Taking him along with her to client meetings and watching her interact helped her feel more comfortable emulating those behaviors and, in the end she felt made her a better lawyer.

She appreciated Castle greatly for his assistance in that respect and for the fact that he seemed to know exactly when she needed to lighten the moment. In the beginning, him cracking a joke during a serious moment drove her insane but in time she saw he was doing it to help her reset and not get caught up too much in the tangled, dark web that was case law.

At least, she thought as Castle approached that afternoon, she'd probably get a laugh or two out of retelling her tragic client's tale and after the prior two days a laugh was something she desperately needed.

"You're here by yourself?" the writer asked when he stopped a few feet from her desk.

Kate bobbed her head. "In lieu of certain events I rescheduled all client meetings for today. Rachel seemed to be having a hard time with everything so I told her she could go. I'm just trying to finish some things up here."

Castle hummed and gazed around the office before asking, "Your meeting with the police go okay?"

She let out a breathy noise as she shrugged. "About as well as a meeting with the police could go, I suppose." She had no problems with the police as she had worked with them quite frequently while at the DA's. She befriended several cops and called some of them friends to that day, but the topic of someone's death was never an easy one to discuss. The police interview was mostly a formality as their case was fairly open-and-shut, but it clawed at her gut, making her question everything. Simply put: it had been a draining day.

"Sure, of course. So listen, um, I don't know if you're interested but if you wanted to talk we could get something to eat."

Kate looked up at him and blinked. Was he asking her out? Or simply trying to be a bit subtle before asking her to tell him what actually happened? In her drained state she truly wasn't sure.

"I know this really great Italian place near here. Or, if you're not interested in that, there are a few Asian places. Thai maybe?"

Okay, yeah this was definitely feeling more like a date. But—wait, did Castle want to date her? In Kate's mind that didn't make sense. He was using them for research. And, yeah, he flirted with her—and her mother, come to think about it—but as far as she saw Castle had the same flirtatious behavior towards all women so that didn't mean anything, did it? This had to be him trying to get the story out of her, but she did give him the credit for not outright asking.

"That's nice Castle, but honestly I'm not that hungry." She wasn't brushing him off—well not _just_ brushing him off. Her appetite had been almost zero the entire day. Other than coffee, she'd only had a banana and a granola bar. Thus, a large Italian or Thai dinner had little appeal.

"You have to eat something. How about bar food? We'll get some drinks and share some fries or nachos and we can talk about whatever you want. C'mon."

The encouraging smile on his face caused the corners of her mouth to turn slightly upward for the first time that day. The man was didn't back down easily, that was for sure. "I…okay. But I'm not sure what time I'll be done here."

He shook his head. "That's fine; you have my number. Just text me—we can go anywhere you want."

She nodded. Well, now she was committed, but perhaps all things considered it was better than sitting alone in her apartment with a bottle of wine. "Okay. It'll probably be around seven?"

He dropped his chin in acknowledgment. "See you then, Kate."

* * *

"I cannot believe you don't like loaded fries." Castle grumbled at his companion while stuffing two cheese and jalapeno coated ones into his mouth. They sat in a booth towards the back of a bar he'd never heard of, but the food was pretty good. His wings had been the perfect amount of messy and spicy and the cheese fries weren't the best he'd had but they were decent enough. Across from him, the lawyer picked delicately at her nachos, though he suspected it was mostly to placate him.

She shrugged and plucked a black olive off one of the chips to pop it in her mouth. "It's a texture thing. Maybe I've just had bad experiences, but the greasy pile of mush I had was not appealing. At least the chips stay crispy."

"Fair enough. So…do you want to talk about what happened?" He was trying not to be too antsy—he really was, but the curiosity was _killing_ him. They'd already been at the bar nearly an hour and after two beers she finally seemed to be relaxing a little; thus that moment was as good as any to take his short. Fortunately, it seemed she was finally willing to share.

"My mom had this client… I didn't know much about the case because as you've seen we keep things fairly separate, but this woman, Inez, cleaned houses for a living and she was accused of stealing one of her employer's jewelry. She didn't do it—the police practically told Mom as much. Her employer was a woman in her late eighties clearly teetering on the edge of dementia because her story kept changing."

"Did they find the jewels?" Castle asked.

Kate shook her head. "That's what kept the case open because they were still missing. Who knows what happened to them. The woman could have thrown them out for all we know. That wasn't the problem, though. When Inez brought the case to my mother, she only told her about the jewelry case and failed to mention that she was actually here illegally from the Dominican Republic."

Castle's shoulders rounded and he sank back against the booth; he did not like the direction this story was taking. "INS found out?" he guessed.

"Yes. Cases like that get pretty tricky and my mom and I aren't experts, but we know people. We tried to get her in touch with an attorney with more experience with INS cases but Inez…" Kate let out a long exhale and shook her head. "She was convinced she'd either be deported or sent to jail, neither of which she was particularly interested in. Evidently, Inez only saw one way out."

"She killed herself." Castle concluded grimly.

Still picking at the label on her beer bottle Kate nodded. "Hung herself in the stairwell of her apartment building two nights ago. We found out yesterday afternoon; Mom took it pretty hard."

Castle pushed his plate of fries aside and leaned his forearms against the table. He could only imagine what Johanna was going through. Actually, he couldn't. The guilt, the personal responsibility—she must have been facing a gamut of emotions he never had to, but he certainly sympathized and understood why she and her daughter were taking the incident hard. "I'm very sorry to hear about this, Kate, but there was nothing else you or your mother could have done."

Kate looked up at him with a resigned expression. "I know that. Rationally, I know that. Mom did everything she could for her. There was no guarantee she would have been able to stay here, but also no guarantee she would have been deported. She never even spoke with the attorney we recommended to her. It's like she just…panicked or gave up or…"

When Kate's voice drifted off and her gaze dropped back down to the table, Castle reached out and placed a hand atop hers. "I get it. Over the years, especially while researching Derrick Storm I came across more than a few people who committed suicide so I understand how you're feeling. To me it doesn't make sense. How can anything be that bad that you don't want the opportunity to continue with your life? It's not something I could consider and therefore it's not something I can easily understand. Unfortunately, it just becomes one of those things you need to accept."

She shot him a half smile. "Easier said than done."

He nodded, relenting. "Of course."

Kate lifted her hand so Castle's fingers could curl around hers and gave those fingers a squeeze with her thumb. "I understand what you're saying, Castle, and I agree…but, I still feel so…"

He squeezed her hand a little bit harder. "I know."

* * *

 _A/N: as always, thank you for reading & reviewing. I did finish this story yesterday, so update will continue 2x weekly for the remaining 7 chaps + epilogue_

 _thanks_


	6. August

_Please note: the last chapter was July 31st so this the next day_

* * *

 **August 1** **st**

Walking up to her office that morning with her keys in hand, Kate Beckett's brow furrowed upon sight of the security gate already up and the lights on inside. She couldn't remember the last time she was not the first to arrive in the morning assuming she didn't have an off-site meeting or court time. She was an early riser—always had been—and also lived the closest to the office, which meant she arrived between seven thirty and eight every morning. True, that particular morning she got a late start and it was nearly twenty after eight, but her mother was generally a nine-a.m.-sharp arriver. On the bright side, at least her mother felt up to coming in to the office that day. Given Kate's current internal predicament, she appreciated that greatly.

Entering the office, Kate was overwhelmed with a blast of humid air seemingly hotter than the morning atmosphere outside. Grumbling, she shrugged off her blazer, dropped it on to the back of her chair, and poked her head into her mother's office. "AC broken again?"

"I already called about it. They weren't in yet, obviously, so I left a message." Johanna responded.

Kate nodded and stepped into the room, taking a seat in the closest guest chair. "How are you today?"

Johanna folded her hands and nodded. "Okay. Well maybe not quite okay, but better. I really appreciate everything you did here yesterday."

Kate shook her head. "It was no problem. Really."

"Things went okay with the police?

"Yes."

"Then…what's with the look."

"What look?"

"You have that half-concerned, half-upset look you get when something mildly disastrous has taken place," Johanna said wisely.

Kate's cheeks flushed. Of course her mother would peg her feelings within thirty seconds of their first interaction that morning. Well, seeing as she was dying to talk about it with someone—embarrassing as it was—she figured she might as well get it all out in the open. "I, ah, I think I may have made a mistake last night."

Her mother's brow rose. "Oh? With regards to a case?"

If only. That would have been so much easier. "I slept with Castle."

A Cheshire-Cat-like grin spread across Johanna's face instantly. She reclined back in her seat and pressed her lips tightly together as though she were afraid the grin would turn into a laugh. "Is that so?" she responded, trying—and failing—to keep her voice even.

"Stop laughing, Mom; this isn't funny!" Kate was not entirely sure what her mother's reaction would be, but she had not expected amusement. Well, okay, maybe she had. Ever since her teen years she and her mother had fairly open dialog about romantic relationships and sexual history. Johanna maintained a very non-judgmental attitude towards most every aspect of her daughter's life; thus, Kate never feared sharing thoughts or concerns with her—using limited details, naturally.

As Kate blossomed into adulthood her relationship with her mother became less parental and more friendship focused. Her mother was an excellent sounding board for the problems in her marriage and the struggles she had during the divorce process. Johanna had been encouraging her to "get back out there" for the prior few months so Kate suspected she'd find amusement in hearing who she finally "got out there" with.

"Isn't it?" Johanna responded. "The way I see it, you two clearly have crushes on each other; it seemed inevitable."

Kate's jaw dropped. Crush! Crush!? She absolutely did not have a crush on Richard Castle; she wasn't fourteen! "I do not have a crush on Castle, Mom."

Johanna waved her hand flippantly. "Crush, feelings for—whatever you want to call it, you have it. The way that man makes you smile, Katie—it makes me so happy to see you that way."

"I—I mean, I don't…" Kate stammered and she could feel her ears turning pink. Shit! Did she have a crush on Castle? He did make her laugh, but that was hardly a quality unique to him. And, yes, she appreciated his ability to lighten her mood and distract her if she was feeling overstressed. And he was attractive with his sparkling blue eyes and smile, especially the prior night when he'd been holding her hand and looking at her the way he did and—shit. "I…I don't really think that's the point."

"Oh?" Johanna replied, her voice ringing with amusement. "What is the point, honey?"

"That clearly I should not have done this. I'm an idiot. How did I let this happen?" Kate groaned and leaned forward, resting her elbows against her thighs. She let her chin drop towards her chest so that a curtain of hair fell down across her eyes. If only she were a young child who could hide behind her hair for the foreseeable future and pretend she was invisible.

"How did it happen, exactly?"

"I don't even know… He stopped in yesterday and asked where you were. When I said you weren't coming in, he pressed and I could tell he was trying to get the story out of me, so I agreed to get a drink with him, figured it was better than drinking alone. He was…he was being really sweet and a good listener. It was…nice. And then he asked if I wanted to get one more drink before we called it a night…"

"And…he followed that with 'at my apartment'?" Johanna guessed.

Kate groaned. If only. "Oh no—far worse than that. I said, 'No thanks, why don't you just walk me home.'"

That time Johanna outright laughed and Kate grumbled at her. "Don't laugh at me."

"I'm not."

"You are and you should. I'm a moron." A big dumb idiot moron. That morning she could not for the life of her why she had thought it was a good idea to ask Castle to walk her home. Why she had thought it was a good idea to invite him inside. Why she had thought it was a good idea to let his hand skim down her spine and draw her in for a kiss. Why she had thought dragging him by his half unbuttoned shirt into her bedroom was the best possible way to end her evening.

Well, actually, that last part was true, but in hindsight definitely a poor decision.

"Katie, I'm not laughing at you but the situation. It's amusing because you seem so upset by something that's not that big of a deal. You're both single adults and he's a very attractive man who is clearly quite interested in you."

Kate let out a disbelieving laugh. "No, he's not."

"Oh really?" Johanna began in her wise, motherly way. She stood from her chair and walked around to sit on the front edge of her desk to be closer to her daughter as she ticked off her reasons. "He brings you coffee every day. He sits at your desk and watches you fill out paperwork for hours. And tell me you haven't noticed the way he looks at you."

Kate felt her cheeks flushing again upon realizing that her mother was one hundred percent correct. Castle did bring her coffee every time he visited, which was nearly every day. He did sit and watch her fill out paperwork for hours—and what sane person did that? Even she didn't want to fill out half the paperwork she was required to. And there had definitely been times when she met his eye and realized he'd been looking at her. _Shit!_ "Wha—I…oh…Oh god he likes me…"

Johanna bobbed her head. "Of course. Why do you think I encouraged him to shadow you?"

Kate's gaze shot up to meet her mother's. What in the hell was that supposed to mean? Castle was there shadowing them—as in both of them—for research. Granted, since the onset of summer he'd spent at least seventy percent of his time with Kate and not her mother…but that was beside the point. "You encouraged?! Wha…."

Johanna folded her arms over her chest as casually as she were discussing a recipe for dinner she'd found online. "I could tell he was a little hesitant about shadowing you since you weren't exactly welcoming his first day here. He said he didn't want to bother you, but I encouraged him and told him he needed to see things from your perspective as much as mine because we do work a little differently."

From a purely research standpoint, Kate could completely see her mother's argument, but Johanna's tone told her there was more to the story. "But…why?"

The elder woman shrugged. "Thought you could have a little fun."

Kate felt her stomach begin to roll in her gut. "You wanted me to sleep with Castle?" That concept made the prior evening's events certainly less fun.

She laughed. "No! I wanted you to have an opportunity to spend time with a man who was light and fun not brooding and serious. This was just a…happy but unexpected result."

Well, that made Kate feel slightly better, but in the end… "Except, I did sleep with him and if he likes me he's going to think I like him and he's going to blow this way out of proportion!"

"Or," Johanna countered, "you could go on a date with him—a real date."

Kate snorted with laughter. That was certainly the most absurd thing she'd heard in quite some time. "I'm not dating Castle. That's ridiculous—he's not my type at all. Plus who's to say he even wants to go on a date with me?"

Johanna blinked. "You're kidding right?"

"No. I'm sure he doesn't want to. For him, last night was probably just research for his stupid book-"

"Uh, Katie."

"-and he's not even interested in anything-"

"Katie."

"-outside a one night stand, which fuels his-"

"Katie!"

"What?" She stopped her rant to blink over at her mother.

Johanna subtly pointed her index finger towards the main office. "You should probably turn around."

With a wrinkled brow, Kate turned but only enough to spot a six-foot-one brown haired man with each of his hands clutching presents—presumably for her. "Oh my god!" Kate hissed as she whipped back around to face her mother. "Does he have coffee and _flowers_!?"

"Technically," Johanna said, the smile on her face growing wider with each word, "those would be red roses. Hmm yes I'd say that definitely looks like a man interested in just a one night stand."

Kate shot her mother a look and hissed, "You're not helping!" Then, taking a deep breath, she stepped out of her mother's office. Damn their cramped and limited space. There was absolutely no opportunity for her to slip away and take a moment to collect herself. Nope she had to face him head-on after waking up naked and finding him gone from her apartment. As if the atmosphere in the office wasn't making her sweat enough already; thank god for her sleeveless blouse.

"Castle…hi."

"Good morning." He greeted her and held out both the roses and coffee. "Guess I should have gotten the coffee iced."

She let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah the AC broke; hopefully they'll fix it within a day or so—last summer it took a whole week."

"I'd offer to look at it, but I'm certain I'd just make it worse."

She nodded and accepted his gifts with a thank you before adding, "It's the thought that counts."

"Good morning, Rick." Johanna said as she exited her office. Then, she turned to her daughter and grinned. "Katie—what lovely flowers you have."

Though she wished she could give her mother a look that indicated exactly how she felt about such a meddling comment, with Castle looking her way she could not. Instead she merely said, "They're, ah, from Rick."

"Thought they'd brighten her desk." Rick explained. Then he turned towards her mother. "Johanna, I am so sorry to hear about your client. Please let me know if there's anything I can do."

She nodded. "That's very kind of you Rick, but I don't think there's anything that can be done at this point. Now, if you'll excuse me I have an early client meeting. Oh." She paused and glanced at them both before walking away. "If you'd like to use my office to have a more private conversation—feel free."

Once she had gone, Castle turned to her with his brow furrowed. "That was…a sort of odd comment to make…or am I missing something?"

"She knows about last night—what happened between us last night, I mean." Kate informed him.

"Ah."

"So…" Kate gestured towards the office and Castle followed her when she ducked inside. She shut the door and pulled the blinds down on the windows so neither of their other two arriving employees could overhear or oversee their conversation. When she turned back to Castle, he looked a little bit afraid so she asked, "What?"

"Nothing…yet. I just get the feeling this isn't going to be as good of a conversation I hoped for."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "What kind of conversation were you hoping for?"

He smiled slowly and took a step towards her. "One that started with: last night was really great."

Despite herself, Kate's smile began to match his. "It was great."

Castle took another step towards her which brought them almost toe-to-toe in the tight space. He reached out and brushed some of the hair off her shoulder before resting his palm flat there. "I was thinking maybe we could go out to dinner tonight—if you're free. And, Kate, I really, really hope that you're free."

Yeah, okay, so her mother was right—Kate definitely was not going to live that one down any time soon. Castle wanted to take her out to dinner—on a date. Castle wanted to date her. That was…an interesting turn of events and one she had to cut off as quickly as possible. "Listen, Castle I had a great time last night, but can't we just leave it at that? There's really no need for anything more."

His expression indicated brief surprise, but he quickly recovered and said in a smooth, deep tone. "What if I want more?"

Kate's nose crinkled. Shit. He was going to make her say it, wasn't he? "That's the thing: I don't."

"Really?" His tone indicated extreme surprise. "You don't want to do that again?"

She felt his thumb skim across her collar bone and tingles shot down her spine and into her belly. It reminded her of a moment from the night before when his thumb grazed across—no, no, Kate, she scolded herself, don't think about that. So what if Castle was one of the better lovers she'd had? That was no reason to embark on a relationship with him that would go nowhere. "I…that's not the point."

He grinned at her, obviously amused. "What is the point then?"

"That we," she paused to take a step back so that his hand dropped off her shoulder, "should remain…whatever this is." She gestured between them.

He laughed out loud. "Whatever this is? What does that mean?"

"I don't know! How would you define us? Researcher and researchee?"

His response was instant. "Researchee isn't a word and I would call us partners."

Kate's brow narrowed for a moment as she didn't feel that term fit, but that was beside the point. "Fine, whatever—the point is _nonsexual_."

Clearly undeterred, Castle continued with, "Okay, then. Kate, would you like to have a _nonsexual_ dinner with me?"

She grumbled. This was the exact reason she could not be in a relationship with him—he couldn't take things seriously. Or no for an answer, as it happened. "We just had dinner last night."

"Half an order of nachos does not a dinner make. C'mon where's the harm? We can go any place you want…"

With a huffed out breath, she folded her arms over her chest. "You're not going to let me say no, are you?"

"Probably not."

Of course. "Fine. Then we'll go to dinner. I don't really care about the place as long as it's casual. And preferably not Mexican."

He winked at her. "You got it. I'll come pick you up around six."

* * *

Sitting across from quite possibly the most beautiful woman in the world—certainly the most beautiful in Manhattan—Castle could not have been happier with himself. Okay, so the new American bistro whose claim to fame was their array of "adult" grilled cheeses was not the exact setting he'd pictured when thinking of his and Kate's first date, but it did fall into her classification of casual and not Mexican. Plus, he'd wanted to try it ever since reading an online review about it. And, hey, at least they served alcohol.

As he watched the lovely lawyer sip her red wine and sample the fried mac-and-cheese bites from the appetizer plate between them, Castle couldn't help but smile. After their night together he was more convinced than ever that she was the most extraordinary person he'd ever met. He couldn't get enough of her.

The prior evening when she had asked him to walk her back to her place, he hadn't thought much of it. It wasn't until she told him to walk her all the way home—up to her front door—that he realized her true intentions. He had been surprised to say the least. This wasn't to say that he hadn't thought about her in that way. She was gorgeous and he was only human; of course he had. However, he also believed she had full intentions to keep their relationship solely professional—at least, up until the moment she seductively asked him to come into her apartment "for a drink or something."

That morning, her insistence that they keep their tryst to one night only was disappointing, but not deterring to him. She had been in an emotionally vulnerable place the prior night and had been seeking comfort and companionship—he understood that. Yet, at the same time, two people did not simply have a night like that one and forget about it. The possibility was there—the potential was there—he simply needed to get her to see it on her own. This required delicate finesse from his angle; fortunately he was up to the task.

"By the way—I should have said earlier." He began, popping a mac-and-cheese bite into his mouth. "Sorry I had to leave last night, but Mother's away and I don't like leaving Alexis in the apartment alone all night if I can avoid it—I also didn't want to wake you."

She shook him off with a casual hand wave. "It's not a problem."

"So, um, admittedly it might be a bit late for me to be asking you this, but can I take last night as confirmation that you're not currently dating anyone?"

Her eyes flicked towards his, but only briefly, before she turned back to their appetizer plate and stared with a bit too much intensity towards a celery stick. "No, I'm not."

Interesting, Castle thought. Kate did not seem particularly comfortable discussing her relationship status, which meant he needed to press further. Judging by her workaholic tendencies, he quickly formulated a theory. "Not ready for something too serious after your divorce?"

"You could say that," she said, still not looking at him. Before he had a chance to press further she sighed and leaned back in her chair. "At all, actually—I haven't dated much at all since..."

So he had been right, but the victory was less fun because she sounded rather sad about it. "Hey, I get it. It took me a year after my first divorce before I thought I was ready to commit to a relationship again."

"But you had a young child," she countered.

"True…but everyone heals and moves on at their own rate."

"I just…" She sighed into her wine glass before taking a sip. "I'm not quite sure if I'm there yet, you know?"

He nodded. "I totally understand…which is why we can keep things between us casual and just see where they go—no commitments required."

Kate made a choking nose. "Us? I thought I told you-"

"Yeah yeah, nonsexual." He waived his hand flippantly as thought her request was as casual as choosing to sit on the right side of the table or the left. "But Kate c'mon. Last night was amazing—you know that as well as I do. There's no reason we can't continue to casually have a little naked fun."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You're ridiculous."

"No, I'm right." He took a sip of his beer and considered her for a moment. His next question was a dangerous one, but he thought he already knew the answer so he figured what the hell? "Okay, let me ask you this: have you had any naked fun with anyone since your divorce?"

Her eyes flared and she set down her wine goblet rather sharply. "That's not an appropriate question."

He smiled. Ah, yes, he was so very right. "So the answer is 'no.'"

He half expected a rebuttal from her, or at least a change of subject, but instead she defended with, "I've been very busy helping my mother with her business."

So busy that she could not go on any dates that led to sex in over a year? Possible, but Castle suspected there was more to the story. Perhaps a fear to commit again only to have it blow up in her face. Were that the case he completely understood; a decade earlier he'd felt the same. Still, he felt he could help her. "A very noble goal and I can attest to the fact that you've done a great job. Now, it's time to have a little fun. So what do you say, Kate? Want to have a little bit more fun with me?"

For thirty seconds, she said nothing. Her eyes remained locked with his, but her expression did not change. Then, slowly, the corners of her mouth began to turn upwards.


	7. September

**September 5** **th**

Kate Beckett awoke to the soothing sounds of waves breaking against sand, the rustle of an ocean breeze through the fabric of an umbrella and the distant laughter of children. She snuggled closer against the broad chest of her companion and told herself two more minutes; she'd get up in two more minutes.

Typically, Kate was not a Sunday afternoon nap kind of girl. Short of being ill, she was generally far too busy and on-the-go for naps. However, when Castle suggested a nap on the beach she'd felt the urge to agree not decline, which had been the absolute correct decision. Their nap simply added to the relaxation of their holiday weekend at his Hamptons beach estate.

When Castle initially invited the Beckett clan to spend Labor Day weekend with him at his beach house, Kate's kneejerk reaction was to politely decline. They were friends having fun together for sure, but combining their families for a holiday? That felt way too serious—particularly considering they were not in any sort of official relationship. Even if they were officially dating it had barely been a month since they first slept together. Castle refuted her argument saying it was just his way of thanking Kate and her mother for continually allowing his presence in their legal practice.

Upon her continued refusal, Castle simply did what he always did: used any means necessary to get his way. He went directly to Johanna and Jim and invited them, thereby making the argument three against one. Kate had no choice but to agree to go lest she look like the bad guy. Initially, this annoyed her greatly, but once again Castle had been right; the weekend away was the exact break she needed after a stressful round of cases.

Despite arriving with a positive attitude, Kate was still concerned about how their families would mesh while under one roof. Specifically, how her parents would get along with Castle's mother. Since she spent an average of two nights a week at the Castle residence, Kate had become reasonably comfortable with Martha Rodgers over the month of August, but she would be the first to admit the woman was a bit of a handful. On that point, even Castle agreed, but from their first joint dinner things went well.

Certain well over two minutes had passed, Kate grumbled and forced herself up into a sitting position. There, she glanced down at saw her companion smiling up at her. She smiled back. "Hi."

"Hi. This was nice."

"It was."

"Wanna go have sex in the hot tub?"

At this unexpected suggestion, Kate let out a mixed laugh and yelp. "CASTLE!"

"What?" He replied as though he'd merely suggested dipping her toes in the surf and she'd completely overreacted.

She clicked her tongue and stated the reasoning that should have been obvious. "My parents and your mother and daughter are here. We cannot have sex in the hot tub."

Pressing his lips together, the writer considered this for a moment before saying, "We can send them on a walk on the beach—a long walk."

Kate rolled her eyes and adjusted her tank top so the straps of her bra were properly covered. "No."

Castle grumbled. "Fine…then you'll just have to come back here another weekend so we can have sex in the hot tub."

She twisted her lips to the side and gazed at him. "What's with the hot tub sex obsession?"

"It's not an obsession. Just thought it would be fun…and adventurous," he added, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at her.

A breathy laugh escaped her lips. "We had sex in the shower yesterday morning. Wasn't that adventurous enough for you?"

"Not even close."

Kate almost responded with, "Well, it was for me," but then thought better of it. So she had spent her six year relationship with Chris rarely having sex outside their bedroom. That did not categorically make the sex bad. She had always found their intimate life enjoyable…well, until it became nonexistent, but that was a different issue—both of which were certainly none of Castle's business. Had she been enjoying their trysts in every room of her apartment and half of the ones in his? Of course. And maybe given the right time and place hot tub sex would be appealing. That weekend, however, was not the time or the place. She already felt as though she was treading on thin ice with her father.

Despite her open dialogue with her mother about relationships, Kate had the exact opposite relationship with Jim Beckett. Seeing as she had been married, he clearly knew she was sexually active, but that didn't stop him from giving her a look their first night in the Hamptons when Castle snagged her hand and announced they were going to bed. Jim had always preferred a "don't ask, don't tell" policy and Kate couldn't say she minded. Most importantly, she didn't want to set herself up for an opportunity where Jim could accidentally catch them. The mere thought of it sent a shiver down her spine.

"You ready to head back to the house?"

Kate hummed and pushed herself up on her knees. "Yeah. What me to grab any of this stuff?" she said, gesturing towards the umbrella and blanket. Castle shook his head and waved her on ahead. She bypassed the game of volleyball being played by Alexis and three girls her age and her father reading on the porch and went directly to the bathroom. When she emerged, she made her way down the hall in search of a water bottle and perhaps a snack. Naps were, after all, hard work.

Upon entering the kitchen, Kate found her mother standing at the island counter, knife in hand, cutting board and a pile of fruit in front of her. Evidently, Johanna's contribution to their meal that evening was going to be a fruit salad. As Kate walked by, she snagged a few grapes and flashed her mother a smile. Johanna wisely commented, "You seem very happy."

"I am happy." Kate replied factually. She had no reason not to be happy. The prior few days had beautiful weather and a relaxing atmosphere. She had never considered herself a huge "beach person" and in her youth had favorited trips to her parents cabin in the woods of northern Pennsylvania, but Castle's magnificent estate would have won over even the most severe of beach skeptics.

"He's good for you Katie."

Kate froze with her hand on the refrigerator door handle. Oh, so her mother was not talking about her happiness in general terms, but directly relating to her relationship with the writer. Er, non-relationship. They were, after all, just having fun together. She sighed out warningly, "Mom."

Johanna held up her hands defensively. "I know you don't want to hear it, but it's true. You've been so happy in the past month."

"Mom."

"Don't deny it – you know it's true," she said, pointing at her daughter with the knife she held.

"Of course I've been happy because that's what this is—Castle and I. we're not in anything serious. We're just two adults having fun." If she'd said it once, she'd said it a dozen times. Starting the first morning after their inaugural date Kate was faced with a glowing smile from her mother and she had to explain that she and Castle were not a couple; they were just hanging out. Yes, technically their get-togethers could have been classified as dates, but that didn't mean they were _dating_. Her mother simply saw the situation from too black-and-white a perspective.

"Are you?" Johanna asked, amusement ringing in her tone.

"Yes."

"And yet, here we are – your family, his family—all sharing this house together."

Kate grumbled. Her mother had yet to make a comment on those lines so Kate knew it was coming. Fortunately, she'd prepared an adequate defense beginning with, "You're completely distorting the evidence."

"Am I?"

Flustered, Kate responded with a quick, "Stop answering me with questions!" She took a long drink from a bottle of water to collect herself before continuing in an even tone. "Yes, we are all here for this weekend, but it doesn't mean what you're implying. I'm here because he invited me; you're here because he invited you. Those two invitations are connected solely through Castle's use of our time and business for research. As far as what's between us, like I said: we're simply two people enjoying one another's company. Sooner or later it will fade. One of us will meet someone with whom we have more in common and this will simply…end." She finished with a shrug.

Kate's agreement to their non-relationship situation had, on a most basic level, developed from Castle's reasoning during their dinner together. It had been quite some time since she partook in—as he'd put it—naked fun with a man. Seeing as Castle was quite fun when they were both naked, she elected to continue said fun. Eventually, though, the novelty would wear off and their relationship would dissipate along with it. She wasn't actively looking for anyone else—he may have been, but that didn't matter to her—so it was possible their fun could go on for several more months. Or, it could end the following weekend. Whenever it did, though, she would be fine with it. Perhaps if it ended well enough Castle could still continue to shadow her.

"Well, if you ask me, I'd say you and Rick have more in common than you think you do."

Kate rolled her eyes. Oh yeah, she had _tons_ in common with the wealthy writer whose previous trysts had been splashed all over Page Six and led a life that was an odd juxtaposition of a wealthy, professional man, and an immature teenage boy. "We definitely don't. Besides, Castle isn't my type."

Johanna made an overdramatic "ah ha" face that Kate knew was meant to be mocking. "Oh, right—your "type,"" Johanna said using air quotation marks.

Exasperated, Kate collected her water bottle plus an additional one for the writer and a bag of chips from the pantry. "Please stop trying to make this more than it is, Mom."

"Fine, fine. You know I just want you to be happy."

"I do." With that, Kate gave her a smile and headed back out to the deck with her drinks and food. As she pulled open the back door, she chuckled to herself again. Castle—her type? Yeah right.

If there was one thing Kate knew to be indisputably true of herself after nearly thirty years of life, it was that she definitely had a type when it came to boyfriends. Save the brief rebellious period in high school when only grungy rockers struck her fancy, she was drawn to serious, intellectual men. Physical stature was not nearly as important, though it was hard to turn down a sparkling pair of blue eyes when coupled with a charming smile. Kate liked serious men because serious men appreciated her dedication to her work and her lack of dedication to frivolous things. They often had dry senses of humor, or an absence of a sense of humor all together. Her mother had on multiple occasions accused her boyfriends of being boring, but Kate didn't see it that way. In her mind, love that came from fun was too volatile to last, but love that came from appreciation was more tried and true.

In that respect, Castle broke all the rules of her previous relationships. He was intelligent, no doubt, but also chaotic, easily distractible, and the furthest thing from serious a person could get. He played video games, laser tag, and owned more action figures a man half his age should have. Despite this, Kate could not deny the fact that he was fun—even if that fun did drive her crazy some times.

Kate's natural inclination to dedicate herself fully to her work often had the unintended side effect of alienating her from her friends and boyfriends. Thus, her times of laughing and relaxation were often limited. Spending time with Castle, whether it was to go and see a movie, or for some between-the-sheets activities, came with the guarantee of laughter. He angered her every time he physically dragged her away from her desk, but she always ended up enjoying herself and feeling more refreshed for the next day.

As for her mother's implication that such feelings and events could lead to a more serious relationship down the road, Kate still had to chuckle. Their fun was great in the short term, but for the long haul? There was simply no way they'd work out.

* * *

"Ooh sour cream and onion—thanks!" Castle proclaimed when Kate passed over the chip bag to him. He trapped his water bottle between his elbow and side so he could reach into the bag and grab a handful. He crammed three chips into his mouth before grabbing several more and handing the bag back to her. "So what are you up to now?"

She shrugged and crunched down on a chip. "Dunno. Though maybe I'd go in and read for a bit."

"Hey!" he said, pointing a finger in her direction. "What's the rule? No work while on vacation." Knowing the Beckett women had a habit of thinking about their work at all hours of the day, Castle had made the rule to benefit both of them—and even himself. He was taking a three day break from Nikki Heat in hopes his latest plot hiccup could be worked out if he was fresh on Tuesday morning.

She twisted her lips to the side and tilted her head as she looked at him. "Now what makes you think I'm going to go read for a case?"

He blinked and said simply, "Because I know you."

"Well apparently not as well as you thought, because I'm actually a few chapters into the third in the Derrick Storm series."

Castle's jaw dropped as his eyes lit up. He was so thrilled he let his arms loosen, which resulted in his water bottle dropping to the patio with a 'thunk'. He scrambled to pick it up as he asked, "Really? Are you really?"

She chuckled. "Don't act so surprised."

But he was surprised! Castle honestly had not expected her to read the series at all. He figured she wasn't a fan of the character or the genre—or both—and that was fine with him; not everyone had to be head-over-heels in love with his works, but this—this!—spoke volumes. She was making an effort to read his works despite her busy schedule. To him, this meant she truly was interested in him on a level beyond "naked fun."

After their first few nights together, Castle still couldn't get enough of Kate. He doubted he would ever tire of being in her presence even if they were to spend all day together every day. To him, this meant his feelings went beyond superficial attraction and were quickly turning into something deeper. Every smile, every laugh he got from her sent his heart soaring.

A little more than a month since it began, he was still happy with their relationship. Yes, Kate was making it clear that things between them were casual, and he was fine with that, because in his mind there was no way she wouldn't want more. Her reading the Storm series solidified those feelings.

"Sorry—I, ah, well I'm just happy if you're enjoying them. By all means—don't let me stop you!" He gestured towards the house. "I think I'll just go and see if Alexis will let me sneak into her volleyball game."

Kate let out a loud laugh. "You against four fifteen year old girls? Maybe I'll skip the book and watch that disaster."

He clicked his tongue at her. "Oh, ye of little faith. I could totally destroy then."

" _Forty-Year-Old Man Crushes Four Teen Girls Volleyball Dreams_ —yeah, I can see the headline now," she teased.

"First, I'm thirty-nine for five more months yet. Second, if you play with me we can do three and three. That's fair, right?"

She shrugged and nodded. "Okay, I'll play for a bit if they let us in their game."

"Excellent!" Nap on the beach, Kate reading _Storm_ , playing volleyball—this weekend was just getting better and better!

As he enjoyed the time he spent with her parents and Kate had integrated herself nicely into the two Castle family dinners she attended, he was not overly worried about how their weekend would go, but each positive interaction only increased his happiness. Their group meals had gone smoothly save a snippy comment from his mother about baseball that had clearly rubbed Kate's father the wrong way. In fact, things were going so well he was almost disappointed they had less than twenty-four hours remaining in vacation time. Still, the way Kate smiled at him, laughed and told him to keep up as she jogged towards the volleyball net told him there would be more to their story; it was going to be something very special, he just knew it.

* * *

 _A/N: Thank you all SO SO much for your response to the previous chapter - it was really overwhelming. I'm so glad you're enjoying this story!_


	8. October

**October 9th**

"You have got to stop."

The smile disappeared from Castle's face immediately when Kate's sharp tone assaulted his ears. He'd barely placed the cup down on her desk a millisecond earlier and she was looking down at a form she was filling out. How had she even reacted that quickly? Then again, perhaps that was just the high-alert angry setting she'd had for the prior few weeks.

"Stop doing what?" he responded, trying to sound innocent. Of course he knew to what she referred, but as he came into the Beckett law offices with a positive attitude that morning, he was desperately trying to ignore it. This was the day he was going to finally wear her down. At least, he hoped it would be.

Kate dropped her pen with a huff and gestured with her left hand towards the take-away cup. "This. Coffee."

"But it's just coffee." Coffee that in weeks past had him greeted with a smile and a thank you, but ever since her completely out of the blue—not to mention ridiculous—termination of their relationship had earned him a scowl at best.

"Says the man this close to a restraining order," she said, holding up her index finger and thumb in close proximity to indicate a razor thin margin.

He blinked at her. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." She snarled before returning to the form in front of her.

Undeterred, Rick pulled up his unofficial chair and plopped himself down in it. He leaned against the edge of her desk and pleaded, "Kate c'mon."

For the second time, she threw down her pen. "I'm not having this conversation with you again, Castle."

"We never had it the first time! You just…decided!" It had happened so quickly, he felt as though he received whiplash from the incident. One minute they were fine—they were happy; the next she was telling him things were over. And, okay, she told him things were over after he accidentally missed one of their dates, but as soon as he'd realized he'd called an apologized profusely. To date, as far as he could tell, that was the _only_ less than positive incident they'd had together. Thus, in his mind, it made absolutely no sense why she would break up with him for something that, admittedly, was moronic, but in the grand scheme of things a minor event.

"I didn't just decide; I made a very sound decision based on the facts presented to me."

Castle groaned dramatically and dropped his chin to his chest. "Oh my god, please stop being a lawyer for five seconds and be a person." He hated when she used her lawyer-speak on him. Well, okay, there had been that one time in her bedroom where they'd done a little role playing and that was fun, but during an argument when he was trying to get his way? It was the furthest thing from fun.

"I am a person."

"Good, then go out with me this Friday."

"No." With that, she pushed herself up from her desk with the obvious intent to walk away, but her progress was thwarted by the tight arrangement of the office. Due to the fact that the escape route to her right was blocked by a large filing box, she was forced to go left and, in doing so, needed to straddle his legs which made for a decidedly awkward exit.

Once she'd cleared his lap, Castle popped up and followed her as she walked towards the printer. "Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because…I don't want to." She mumbled, clearly unable to come up with a better reason; Castle pounced on her response.

"That's not a real reason."

Kate stopped abruptly in front of the printer and yanked her document off the tray. Facing him with arms folded in her chest, document loosely pinched between her right index finger and thumb, she said, "Okay, fine. I don't want to go out with you because the last time we went out it ended in a huge fight."

Castle was tempted to argue with her on her choice descriptor of "huge;" that was clearly an overstatement. They had a disagreement, sure, but he considered it minor at best. Besides, even if the evening had ended with her telling him very loudly to get out of her apartment, the events before that were decidedly more intriguing. Stepping closer he said, "Which time was that again? The one where we had that _amazing_ sex against the-"

"CASTLE!" She cut him off with a hiss. "This is my place of work for the love of god would you at least whisper."

When Kate pushed past him again, he looked around to see if anyone was paying attention. Rachel was closest to them, but if she was eavesdropping she was doing a pretty good job of pretending to be intently reading her computer screen. Deciding they were in the clear, he hurried after her and spoke in a quieter tone. "I'm sorry, but you cannot deny the sex was amazing."

The evening in question had been not quite a week prior, making it eight days after their missed dinner date. Kate had been avoiding him as much as she could until he finally caught her at the law offices and insisted they go for a drink. She refused and they went back and forth until he told her he would sit at her desk and annoy her the rest of the day until she agreed, so she had. Drinks went okay; he tried to keep things light, though she was clearly annoyed with him. Walking back to her place had been when he really cracked through her walls and made her laugh about something silly. Then, he'd snagged her hand and caressed the back of it with her thumb. She gave him a subtle smile…and they'd practically ran up to her apartment.

To say their coupling had been rushed would have been a major understatement. His pants had barely been unbuttoned and her dress remained on—only her panties had been removed before they crashed into each other against the back of her apartment door. Despite the frantic, rushed nature of the sex, the way she mewed out his name and how her body trembled told him her orgasm had been intense. Understandably, she had taken several minutes to recover, but when she offered him another drink he thought he was in the clear. Very shortly after that their argument started.

When she reached her desk, Kate set down the paper she held, turned to him and softly said, "Yes, Castle; it was amazing."

"So-"

"-but the fight was not."

He grumbled. "I'm not saying it was but-"

"Oh god, Rick!" She threw up her hands and shook her head. "We're not going through this again. It's over. Please just accept that."

He huffed out a breath. Absolutely not! There was no way. Perhaps with a proper explanation he would have been more accepting, but even then he doubted it. The prior two months had been wonderful and he absolutely was not going to let her go without putting up a damn good fight. "No, I refuse to-"

Castle cut off his own speech when Johanna walked past them to get into her office. She nodded to him and greeted with a polite, "Rick; good morning."

"Hi Johanna," he said before turning back to her very stubborn daughter. "Kate, please."

Kate shook her head. "No, Castle. Certain events have proven that this is a bad idea. Our last tryst was an error in judgement which I take full responsibility for, but this cannot continue."

"Certain events…" His voice drifted off as his brain scanned the last few weeks of their relationship looking for any possible clue, but there was none. He'd gone over it again and again in his mind and they'd both been happy. The only event to which she could have referred was the dinner, but that was absurd reasoning! "Really, Kate? Are you still mad about me missing dinner? I apologized a hundred times!"

"Yes, and I accepted your apology. I'm not mad about the dinner, Rick but…I'm thirty years old, I've already had one failed marriage. I know what I want in a relationship and I'm sorry, but it's not you. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you, you're a great guy, just not for me."

* * *

Kate spoke her reasoning with no small amount of sadness. Rick really was a good man and for the right woman he would be quite a catch, but she was not that woman. She knew their relationship would end eventually and two months seemed about appropriate for something casual and fun. With more time, feelings could have been hurt. Even as it was, it hardly seemed likely that their working relationship would remain intact and that was a shame. She would have preferred for a more amicable breakup, but it was clear the writer was too stubborn to give up when the battle was already lost.

He didn't even flinch before saying, "I'm sorry but I don't agree with that I think at all. We are great together. And what's this about relationships? Weren't you the one who said you weren't ready? Does this mean you're ready now? Because great—I'm in."

She shook her head. "It's not that simple." Yes, after her time with Castle she realized she had healed enough from her divorce to be open to the idea of a serious relationship again, but she knew she needed to proceed cautiously. She did not want to be hurt again—not that she ever wanted to be hurt in the first place—but being hurt in the very next relationship after her divorce would strike quite a blow. She wanted someone reliable and stable—someone trustworthy. That was the man she needed for her first post-divorce boyfriend.

"Sure it is."

"No, it's not."

"Then tell me why not."

Kate brushed her fingertips over her temple. Damn this man was wouldn't quit, would he? If he had the ability to hone his attention more accurately, he might have made a good lawyer. Given his instance, she'd have to spell it out for him in black and white. "Because I want something serious. Something permanent. If I get married again, I want it to stick." She was barely a breath away from her thirties, which meant if she was going to have a family, it would need to be sooner than later. The time for dating for the hell of it had long since passed.

"So do I."

A short laugh escaped her lips. "Which is…why you play video games with teenagers in other countries until three a.m.?" Okay, maybe she wasn't quite over him missing their date because he'd been too busy playing video games. Had he been entrenched in his writing and lost track of the time she wouldn't have been mad. Hell, she'd been guilty of the same herself once or twice in her lifetime, but video games? What was this? Middle school?

"Okay first—Patel is twenty-one. And I don't see your point. You stay up reading case law well past midnight."

"Yes, because it's my job."

"And gaming is my hobby."

"Great." Finally, their tenth argument on the subject had come to an end and Kate could get back to work. She sat back down at her desk, picked up her pen, and began a third attempt on her paperwork. Not thirty seconds later he interrupted her again.

"Wait! No! Not great. You still don't believe I can be a serious boyfriend, do you?"

Her tone now clearly displaying her exhaustion with the situation she said, "Honestly? I'm not sure." Castle could be an adult when he wanted to be. After all, he had successfully raised a wonderful daughter almost entirely on his own. Unfortunately, Kate did not have the time or patience to wait around to see if she would get mostly the responsible adult side of Castle or the game playing overgrown teenager.

"Then," he said as he slid back into the seat beside her desk, "let me change your mind."

She let out a long breath, genuinely fearful he would never ever leave her alone. Before she could respond verbally, he leaned against her desk and continued. "Give me a chance—c'mon you can't condemn me without ever giving me a chance. Innocent until proven guilty, right?"

"That's only in a court of law." She replied.

"Katie?"

Thank god her mother needed her for something! That would surely put an end to their discussion. Well, at least for that day. Pushing herself out of her chair, she stepped over his thighs again and said, "Just go home Castle."

He refused. "Not until we're done; I'll wait."

 _Great_ , she thought to herself as she walked towards her mother's office. In the doorway, she took a half second to take in a deep cleansing breath. The last thing she needed to do was take out her frustration with Castle on her mother. "What's up?" she asked, surprising herself with the brightness of her tone.

Johanna gazed up at her from behind her desk and shrugged casually. "Oh nothing. I'm just giving you the chance to cool down for a moment so you can change your mind and make the right decision."

"About what?"

"Rick."

Kate groaned. "Mom…"

"Go out with him," Johanna said, her voice firm.

"I can't."

"You care about him, don't you?"

Kate opened her mouth but no words came out as she considered her mother's question. Did she care about Castle? Answering that seemed complicated. Of course she cared about him because of their friendship. She didn't want any harm to come to him; she wanted him to be happy and for his next book to be a success, but she also knew that was not the kind of caring to which her mother referred. They had slept together for two months and had some incredible times together. Since their relationship hadn't ended in a ball of fire, some feelings remained, but they were complicated at best. On a most basic level, however…. "Yes."

"He cares about you."

"I—that's not the point. The point is this is going to end sooner or later; I'm ending it sooner," she said firmly.

"But why? Why does it have to end? And if you say he's not your type I'm going to put you over my knee and spank you!"

"But he's not!" Kate insisted; why could her mother not see that?

"Because you haven't given him a chance! Don't you remember how happy you were on Labor Day weekend?"

"That's not-"

"Because you were—you were so happy." Her mother walked around her desk and placed a gentle hand on each of her daughter's arms as she continued. "I saw it on your face, sweetheart. He brings you joy. He lets you have fun. You're keeping him at arm's length and I understand why. You're scared and I can't say I blame you; I'd probably would be, too, if I was in your place, but what's going to say the next man and the one after that won't scare you too if you don't try?"

Kate dropped her eyes to her mother's waist. Her mother was one hundred percent correct in her assessment of her concerns. She remained concerned on how to approach her next relationship for fear she wouldn't be able to fully commit while protecting her own heart. Were she to find a man more her style—brooding, serious, intellectual—her fears would be less so. With Castle? They were practically off the charts.

"Judging from your silence I know you know I'm right now go out there and stop torturing that nice man."

After giving her mother a less-than-appreciative expression, Kate turned and walked back out into the main office area. For a fleeting second she hoped Castle had given up and went home, but of course he had not. He leaned against the edge of her desk, his eyes focused on his phone. When she stepped in front of him, her arms folded, he looked up and quickly pocketed the device. "My mother says I have to go out with you." While not technically true, to Kate that's how it felt.

The corners of Castle's lips turned upwards and his expression grew progressively more amused. "Oh-kay," he said with emphasis on both syllables. "Is she going to chaperone too? Or will she trust me to have you back by ten?"

 _And back down the rabbit hole I go_ , she thought at his jokey response. "We're going to a movie."

"Okay."

"I'm picking it."

"Okay."

"You're buying me M&Ms."

"Okay." As his grin was now stretching over his entire face, Castle bounced on his heels and asked. "Anything else?"

She shook her head. "No, that about covers it."

"Great! Text me once you pick the movie." With that, he stepped forward and pressed a kiss onto her cheek. "Have a great day, honey!"

* * *

"So what did you think of the movie, really?" Kate could hardly keep a straight face as they left the theater and began the five block trek to his apartment. She had intentionally chosen the most chick-flick movie available at the theater. It had received an average of one star from all critics and it Kate's mind it was worse than she anticipated, but she was curious as to how committed Castle was to his whole "I'm going to be your serious boyfriend" decree of his.

"Um, it was okay. Had some funny moments. That scene with the puppies was pretty good."

Kate pressed her lips tighter together in an attempt to stifle laughter. He definitely got points for that answer, but she wouldn't torture him too much longer. "It's okay, Castle—you're off the hook. You can tell me what you really thought."

"Really?"

"Really."

He let out a blast of breath as though he'd been swimming underwater. "Oh god it was awful. So awful! I just wanted to get up and walk out after that scene with the bathtub."

Kate laughed. "I know; it was terrible."

"Then why'd you pick it!?"

"To torture you," she replied with a smile. He grumbled at her until she reached over and snagged his hand. Then, the smile returned to his face.

They continued to trash the movie on their walk to Castle's building. They stopped at a corner Chinese place and got take-out before taking seats at opposite ends of the couch in his office and talking for another hour. When Castle suggested an alcoholic beverage to cap off their evening, Kate refused politely and explained, "I really should get going; I have an early court time tomorrow."

"No, no, no," he said, snagging her waist and pulling her closer to him. "You're not allowed to go now that I finally have you back. We have time to make up for." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and brought his lips down against her throat.

"Castle." She groaned both from his restriction of her departure and the feeling of his lips against her flesh. "Early court time."

"That doesn't prevent us from having makeup sex before you go."

"Except I—oh!" She gasped when his fingers skillfully popped the button on her pants and his fingers dipped inside.

"C'mon." He encouraged, sliding his fingers a little lower. "If we're not going to toast in celebration of our official relationship with a drink we'll have to do it in another, more inventive way."

Kate whimpered and curled her fingers around the tops of his shoulders when his fingernail grazed over her most sensitive spot. There was no way in hell she was leaving now. Guess that meant getting up at five a.m. to make it back to her place in time to shower and change. Somehow, though, she knew he'd make it worth her while.

"Shit, Castle, I—okay, yes, please just don't—ah!"

His fingertips froze and he lifted his head to gaze at her directly and ask in a husky tone. "Don't what?"

"Don't stop."

He laughed and hoisted her by her legs so she could lock them around his waist in order to be carried into the bedroom. After dropping her on the bed, he rested his forearms on either side of her torso, leaned down over her and asked, "You're in this right? You're my girlfriend and we're serious and committed?"

"Yes," she said breathily while reaching up to grab the collar of his shirt. "Now shut up and kiss me."

* * *

 _A/N: I love this chapter, but chapters like this one also make me sad Johanna wasn't in the show because how much fun would that have been in canon?!_

 _4 chapters left!_


	9. November

**November 25th**

Sitting at the dining room table watching the two Beckett women laugh as they put away the Thanksgiving leftovers Castle could not help but feel a bit nostalgic. Okay, maybe it was partially the four glasses of wine talking, but as he sat there in the Beckett home after sharing a lovely holiday meal with the family, he could not help but think that the thing he was most grateful for after his mother and daughter was them. After all, meeting them had completely altered the course of his life that year.

Castle had always believed in the guidance of fate and a deeper meaning behind events and what spoke more to a deeper meaning than his blossoming relationship with Kate? Eight months earlier, her mother had entered his fan contest and won a meet-and-greet opportunity. Had Johanna not won or had she chosen to bring a guest other than her daughter, Castle was certain his life would be entirely different. He wasn't sure what book or for which character he would be writing, but he was so happy he didn't have to find out. Nikki Heat was far surpassing even his high expectations and so was the lawyer who was her main inspiration.

Honestly, he could not say enough wonderful things about the woman now his girlfriend. He found her incredible in every way. Especially in the prior two months; ever since they'd made their relationship official, she had become even more special in his eyes by allowing him to see her loving, thoughtful relationship partner side. He loved that starting the day with her meant any number of adventures could take place, and closing the day with her curled up in his arms felt like coming home. He was, without any question, falling in love. In fact, he had probably already taken the leap.

"Rick, would you like to take any of this pie with you?"

Castle gave the absurdly delicious pecan pie resting in the center of the table a longing expression. Of course he did, but he'd had two pieces with dinner and didn't want to be an inconsiderate guest. "Oh, no that's okay; thank you, though."

"Are you sure?" Johanna asked.

"Please." Her husband chimed in from the opposite side of the table. "Every piece you eat is one that won't end up on my waistline."

The writer chuckled. "Well, okay then."

Johanna placed a Tupperware container for him to use next to the pie and patted his shoulder when she walked by. He thanked her before reaching out for the pie pan, smiling to himself. The Becketts were good people and, his relationship with Kate aside, he was glad to have met them for no other reason than they were a wonderful representation of a family unit.

Raised by his mother and having no idea what his father's name was let alone being able to meet the man, Castle always found himself fascinated by nuclear families. What was it like when a mother, father, and their children sat down and ate a meal together? For many years he wondered and though he'd seen many examples through friends, his fascination remained.

In the case of the Becketts, "lawyer" was the family theme with all three of them having a degree. Kate's father, Jim, didn't practice anymore; he was a professor at NYU. Though he didn't know her father as well as her mother, Castle believed Kate shared attributes from both parents. Her passion and sharp, smart attitude clearly came from her mother, but her tendency to be quieter and introspective, particularly when in the bowels of a case, seemed to favor her father. As a writer, these were the types of observations he enjoyed making about those he interacted with even if his daughter had, at one point, deemed them creepy.

Castle was pulled from his musings by Kate's hand skimming across his shoulders and her fingers feathering through the hair at the base of his neck. "Ready to go?"

He smiled up at her. "Sure, if you want." Normally, he wouldn't have wanted to leave so quickly after their meal, but they had been there for nearly six hours already. Kate assisted her mother in the meal prep and though she insisted Castle did not have to show up until it was almost ready to eat, he refused. First, his daughter was spending the holiday with her mother in California and his mother was on a "mental health" retreat in Florida (whatever that meant), so without Kate he would just be sitting at home alone for hours. Second, he felt he could be of assistance to them…or if not, he could watch football with her father. As it turned out, the only sport Jim liked was baseball, so after a forty minute chat about that, Castle joined the women in the kitchen only to be continually scolded for sampling food.

They gathered their coats and said their goodbyes before the couple walked hand in hand towards the building elevator. As it was raining, Castle called for a car and they waited in the building's lobby for it to arrive. "I'd ask if you enjoyed the meal, but I saw how much you ate." Kate teased as she nudged him with her elbow.

"That's true; I definitely won't be eating any more tonight," he said, patting his belly. Well…maybe that last slice of pie if he got hungry later…

"Glad you enjoyed it."

"I really did. I had no idea you could cook so well—how come you don't do it more often?"

"Because it's a pain in the ass."

Castle laughed. "Oh right, dozens of takeout containers in your fridge make much more sense." He teased.

She smiled up at him. "Exactly."

Once they were in the town car on their way back to his apartment, Castle noticed that not only was Kate being atypically quiet, but her expression seemed concerned, when he asked her about it, she shrugged and said, "I've just been thinking about some stuff."

He smiled enticingly. "Penny for your thoughts?"

She nodded and picked at the fraying end of her scarf. "Remember that day back in September when you missed dinner and I broke up with you?"

Castle nearly laughed. Yeah, he was pretty vividly familiar with that incident. "I believe I recall that, yes."

She nodded and looked over at him. "Well…the real reason I was so upset is because that day I had a really difficult and distressing conversation with my mother and I wanted to talk with you about it."

In that moment, all his guilt surrounding his idiocy returned tenfold. "Oh, Kate; I'm sorry."

She gave him a half smile. "I know and I forgive you. I just, um, wanted you to know why I was a little extra sensitive and also that…I probably overreacted because I scared myself. When you didn't show up or answer your phone, I realized that I'd actually come to count on you, depend on you and that meant you could hurt me and I wasn't sure I was ready for that."

Castle reached over and picked up her gloved hand with his bare one. "Kate…I may be an idiot sometimes, but I would never intentionally hurt you." Not at the time of the incident and most certainly not then; he'd sooner die before breaking her heart that way.

She squeezed his hand. "I know that."

"Any time you need me I'm here for you. Day or night—though day is preferable."

His comment allowed a light chuckle to escape her lips. "Yes and I want to tell you about this but I don't want used in a book."

Castle felt himself wince at her comment. He hated that she even had to say that. He truly thought she trusted him more than that, or at least knew him more than that, but then again she was new to his world, so he could understand her being a bit skittish. "Kate, I would never use details too personal in a story—especially if you specifically asked me not to; that goes without saying I promise you."

She bobbed her head. "Okay, I'll tell you when we get home."

Though his curiosity had been thoroughly piqued, he understood why she didn't want to tell all in the presence of their driver. Instead, he leaned over and kissed her head and held her hand tightly for the remainder of their ride.

* * *

Once in Castle's apartment, Kate walked directly to the cart used as a makeshift dry bar in his office. She poured herself a bit of scotch and offered some to the writer, who accepted a glass of a similar amount. The two of them then walked back to the main sitting area and sat a cushion apart on his sectional sofa. Kate tucked her foot underneath her before beginning, "Did my mom ever tell you about the last case she worked at her firm? The one that made her quit."

After taking a sip of his drink, Castle placed the glass on the coffee table in front of them and shook his head. "Um, not really. She only said that it was a murder case and a 'more than meets the eye' situation that made her realized she needed to readjust her priorities for her family."

Kate bobbed her head. That certainly was glazing over the issue, but considering Kate had only learned about the incident recently, nearly a decade after it took place, it made sense her mother hadn't revealed it in any great detail to the writer. "The case almost got her killed." She paused to look up at her companion and take note of his visibly shocked expression before continuing. "I didn't know. I was in my first semester of college on the other side of the country for most of it. All I knew about it was that when I came home for Christmas break, my parents sat me down and said mom was going to work on opening her own firm. I didn't care—didn't seem like a big deal to me, but in hindsight they were a little too serious about it."

"All this time you didn't know?" he asked. When she shook her head, he continued with, "What made her tell you now?"

"Apparently one of the players came up in the context of a case she's doing now—one she thought was completely unrelated—and she got concerned."

"Does she think you're in danger? That she's in danger?"

"She hoped not. Just to be safe, though, she gave the client the name of another lawyer. And this was back in September and we're clearly fine. She hasn't brought it up again but… I still think about it sometimes. It's…a lot to process."

To that day, the look on her mother's face and her tone of voice still made Kate shudder if she thought about it. She had never before seen her mother look so grave, so terrified. It was very clear that Johanna had genuinely feared for her life and the resurrection of the name of an individual related had scared her so much that she revealed a secret she kept in for nearly ten years.

"So what exactly happened with the original case?"

Kate sipped her drink and let out a breathy chuckle. His question was the same she had asked two months earlier when her mother began a very disjointed story. Unfortunately, she had not received too detailed an answer. "She wouldn't tell me too much—no names, no places, nothing too specific. She said it was safer if I didn't know, but basically: there was a man convicted of a murder who claimed he was framed. In looking into it, she thought she discovered some police corruption. In the end, her police source was murdered in front of her. This took place in an alley; she hid behind a dumpster so the killer didn't know she was there. She couldn't take any of this back to the police because she was afraid of how deep the police corruption went; afraid that the killers would come after my father or me, so to save us she stopped working on the case."

Castle's eyes shifted back and forth for a few moments as he processed the information. Finally, he shook his head and said, "But she witnessed a murder; the killer got away."

Kate nodded knowingly. "That's exactly what I said to her and she just said, 'Life isn't always black and white, Katie.'"

That had been the moment that upset her the most. A case that put her mother's life in danger was concerning, but not the most shocking. However, learning that her mother, a woman who fought for justice, could have single handedly brought a victim's killer—a cop's killer!—to justice but chose not to rocked her to her very core.

"And this happened the day we were supposed to meet for dinner?" he asked; she nodded. "What happened next? Did you and your mom talk it out?"

"Not really…I was upset with her for a few days, but then my dad called me and talked to me about it. He helped me realize that her decision was not one she took lightly, and it still weighs on her to this day, but in the end she did what she did to save us. I understand that… I accept that, I guess, but it's hard because I'm not sure I would have done the same if I was her. I would have found a way to get justice for that victim. I would have tried to bring down the whole lot of them. At a great risk to myself, presumably. But, as my father pointed out: I'm also saying that sitting here without a child I need to protect. Apparently that changes things…even if that child is technically an adult."

Castle reached over and squeezed her arm. "I can confirm that it definitely does. Your perspective, your concerns are altered from the moment they're born and that never stops."

"I understand that but… I don't know." She sighed heavily and raked her hands through her hair. "I just feel like I would have found a way and that's what frustrates me about it sometimes. That person—that killer—is still free. And now that I know I just feel…"

"Hey, c'mere," he said, grabbing onto her hand and sliding her body closer to his so he could wrap an arm around her. "Listen to me: you're one of the most amazing people I've ever met. No one would ever question your dedication to your job, to your clients. Believe me, I'm usually the first person to jump on an impossible bandwagon, but, Kate, you can't win every case; it's just not feasible."

"But she did try to bring them down! If-"

"Didn't she?" he countered. "You don't know how far she went. I know your mother and I'd be willing to bet it was pretty damn far, but then she reached a moment where she had to make a choice. Think about it in terms of your own life. If you got a case tomorrow that would risk your parent's life, would risk mine, would you take it?"

Kate pressed her lips tightly together. The stubborn side of her said yes; she'd find a way to get justice and keep everyone safe. Yet, at the same time, she knew that if an action she chose to take resulted in the demise of her parents or her boyfriend she would never be able to live with her guilt. Risking her own life was one thing, but theirs? "No, I guess not."

He kissed her head. "See? There's your answer. It's just like your mother said: life isn't black and white. We live in any number of shades of gray every day."

She nodded, knowing that he was right along with both her parents, but she had never been one to let go easily and this incident would be no different. She was going to make a solid effort and try, though there was no guarantee it wouldn't circle back around one day. "Thanks, Castle—for talking this through with me."

He hugged her a little tighter. "Anytime, Kate."


	10. December

**December 14th**

Castle sucked in a deep breath just as he pulled open the door to the Beckett law offices. He needed a moment to cleanse his mind of any negative thoughts. He was going to see Kate and they were going to have a rational discussion that would definitely not turn into yelling like their interaction prior evening had.

Honestly, he wasn't sure how it even started. One minute they were standing in the kitchen as he cleaned up dinner and he was inviting her to spend Christmas with his family and the next she was jumping down his throat asking him why they always had to do what he wanted and do things that revolved around his family. Naturally, he became defensive, and their argument spiraled from there. He had expected her to agree to the invitation or, at the very least, compromise with him. She wanted to spend the holiday with her family too and he understood that. Yelling at him seemed rather uncalled for. Still, he was going to be the bigger person and present the olive branch. It was, after all, nearing the holidays and he didn't want to fight over Christmas.

Walking into the office, Castle's chest deflated upon sight of Kate's empty desk. From the way her chair was pushed in it appeared as though she was not merely in the breakroom or bathroom, but not in the office at all. Well, that put a slight damper on his intentions. Perhaps she had a court time she didn't mention; she'd left his apartment too quickly for them to discuss her schedule for that day.

Figuring Johanna would know her daughter's whereabouts Rick walked back to her office door and wrapped his knuckles against the frame. The elder woman looked up and smiled at him. "Morning Johanna."

"Hello, Rick. What brings you in this morning?"

"I was…looking for Kate…" he said, his tone a bit distant; he would have thought his intentions were obvious.

"Oh. She had a dentist appointment this morning—didn't she tell you?"

Rick bobbed his head. Okay, that was a perfectly reasonable explanation for her absence. "She didn't. We, ah, we had a fight last night." He confessed to her. She leaned back in her chair and tiled her head, gazing at him curiously.

Immediately, Castle felt awkward because of his statement. This was, after all, Kate's mother—not a pal he could use as a sounding board. Johanna's familial connection to his girlfriend most likely made his comment inappropriate. Yet, on the other hand, he felt the need for some advice and there would be no one in the world who knew Kate better. "Sorry I guess I shouldn't be talking to you about this it's just… it feels like sometimes she picks a fight with me because she's afraid of how serious we're getting. Does that sound at all possible?"

He'd seen it before when he attempted to make future plans with her: like visiting the Hamptons or even going away together for the weekend to another destination. She'd get very short or snippy with him and change the subject by saying, "I don't know what I'm doing that weekend Castle; we'll have to see," or something else with a vague nature.

Johanna chuckled. "I'd say that's very possible."

A wry smile crossed his lips as he thought, _That's a relief_. But his problem was still not solved. Just because he knew Kate would be hesitant about certain things did not alleviate the issue of her being hesitant. "I just…I asked her to spend Christmas Eve with us."

"I see."

Johanna's tone was not unkind or impatient, but factual and made him feel a bit like he was one of her clients. Additionally, it reminded him of the fact that their conversation bordered on the inappropriate so he decided to end it. "Sorry, I'll just-"

"Rick. Sit." She commanded. Once he'd done as instructed, she walked around her desk and sat beside him in the second guest chair. "I don't think it's my place to get in between you two, but seeing as you're here…My daughter has always been to keep people at arm's length long after she should. Getting to know her isn't easy and her divorce certainly didn't make it any easier, but I know you care about her very much."

"I do. I love her." Absolutely no question existed in Castle's mind with regards to his feelings for Kate. He was one hundred percent irrevocably in love with her and had been for quite some time, which was another element of their relationship that frustrated him. Why did she still struggle with their future when he was committed to her so deeply? Though to be fair, he reminded himself, he had been similarly skittish after his first divorce.

"Have you told her that?" Johanna asked.

Castle evaded her gaze. "Not exactly…I'm afraid it'll freak her out." And maybe therein lay the reason for her skittishness—at least in part; she didn't know he truly felt about her. _Idiot_ , he chastised himself.

"Well, I think you should tell her because I think she thinks she's more scared than she actually is."

Tentatively, Castle looked back to her and arched his eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

A grin spreading across her face, Johanna leaned her forearms against her thighs and said, "Because I've never seen her light up around anyone the way she does around you."

Castle couldn't help but let out a relieved laugh. Well, that certainly was nice to hear and coming from Kate's mother he knew what a profound statement that was. Castle never doubted Kate's feelings for him; he knew she cared for him, but he was never sure whether or not she was in love with him—not because she didn't care enough about him, but because she was preventing herself from feeling that deeply about anyone. The way she smiled and laughed always brightened his day more than even the most brilliant sunshine. Knowing that she only did that for him made it all the sweeter. "Thanks I really needed to hear that."

"Have faith, Rick," Johanna said, patting his arm before returning to the seat behind her desk.

Castle thanked her and left her office with the intent to wait for Kate by her desk so they could hash out their differences without any more time passing. As it turned out, he only sat in his plastic chair for eight minutes before she arrived and greeted him with a breathy, "Hey."

He stood immediately and slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Hi. Listen, about last night."

She nodded and let her purse drop to the crook of her elbow. She slid past him and deposited into her bottom desk drawer before beginning, "Yeah, um-"

"Wait please. Let me say this." He paused to wait for her full attention before continuing. "I asked you to spend Christmas with us because I thought it would be nice—because it's something I want. If, however, it's something you're not comfortable with and you don't want to join us, that's perfectly fine."

Kate shook her head and brushed her fingertips over her forehead. "No it's not that I… I'm sorry; I was being a total idiot."

He let out a breathy noise. "Well I wouldn't say that, but-"

"No, no; I was." She assured him. Then, she beckoned for him to follow her into the breakroom. Castle did, presuming she wished to speak somewhere more private. This action only made him more curious as to what her reasoning had been and why it made her a self-dubbed "idiot."

* * *

After securing the door to the breakroom behind her boyfriend, Kate turned back to him and felt her stomach roll in her gut. Yeah, this was definitely not a conversation she was looking forward to, but as it was a result of her own stupidity and overreaction, it was one she absolutely needed to have.

"Last night before I got to your place I realized my period was late and I thought I was pregnant."

The incident had been far from her first pregnancy scare, but certainly the one she'd handled the worst. She had not had too many in her lifetime—just a handful—and none had resulted in an actual pregnancy, but each time prior she had fretted to herself or to a friend before calmly telling the man involved after the situation had resolved itself. With Castle? She'd jumped all over him.

"Oh."

His tone made it clear he was not entirely sure how to react, so she quickly clarified, "I'm not—it showed up this morning—but I was freaking out about it and so when you asked me about Christmas it just felt like this smothering 'too much too soon' moment and I couldn't deal…" She shook her head, still disappointed in her own actions. "That was so atypically immature of me. I'm very sorry. I should have just told you what's going on."

She was such an idiot—really. Had she told him what was going on the next before, he probably would have been as calm and patient as he was being then, but she had to go and mess things up. His inquiry about Christmas Eve had felt like the tourniquet tightening around her neck and, unfortunately, she had reacted accordingly.

Castle smiled and reached out to brush his hand across her bicep. "It's okay. I understand that would have been surprising to say the least. But Kate for the record: if you had been pregnant I would have been fine with it. We would have figured it out."

Kate fought the urge to groan. Of course he was being amazing about this whole thing—she should have known. What a total moron she was. "Thanks…that makes me feel worse, actually."

"No, don't. C'mere." He stepped forward and looped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her in for a warm hug. Kate gladly reciprocated, pressing herself against him until she found that perfect spot to her head to rest; it was her favorite position in the world and she never grew tired of how wonderful his hugs were.

After a minute, Castle pulled back and brushed his lips across her forehead. Brushing his thumbs against the tops of her shoulders, he asked tentatively, "Would now be a bad time to ask if you're actually interested in having children?"

She let out a breathy laugh; it should not have surprised her that he was asking that. Given what happened, it seemed natural. Still, she took a moment to formulate her response. "It's funny because I was never a baby-focused person. Having a family was always far in the future—after I had my law degree, after I was established in a job. Then, Chris and I got together and he didn't want children and I was okay with it—or so I told myself. I was still so focused on my career I wasn't at the point in my life to really reflect on that decision and what it meant for my future."

In hindsight, she believed it would have bothered her eventually, but in her mid- and late-twenties? Chris was all about working hard and having weekend excursions with little notice. Such a life would not have been conducive to children, but Kate wasn't thinking about that. To be honest, she didn't think about much other than making her way up the chain at the DA's. Looking at the man before her, though, everything seemed different. Castle already was a father, and she loved seeing that side of him. Spending time with him and Alexis was a joy not a burden. Though the concept was still very much in the future, with Castle the perspective was completely opposite.

"Somehow, though, I think having children with you would make every day an adventure."

Castle laughed and pulled her into another hug. "You're damn right it would."

"But!" She added quickly. "Let's keep that in the future, okay?" If they were going to have children she wanted it to be planned—and after they were married, but they were not yet in a place to discuss matrimony and thus children, but the superficial discussion didn't bother her. Actually, it made her feel a lot better.

"Totally fine by me."

After the writer kissed her, Kate squeezed his waist and said the sentence she should have the night before. "And…I would like to spend Christmas Eve with you and your family."

"Yeah?"

His bright smile only confirmed her decision. Yes, spending a holiday—especially Christmas—was quite a serious step in their relationship, but it was one she was ready to take. She had never expected to become serious with the first man she dated after her divorce—though she certainly was not going to complain about having to spend too much time in the cesspool that could be the Manhattan singles scene—but she also never expected to meet a man quite like Richard Castle. Given his flair for drama in many aspects of his life, she was certain that Christmas Eve would probably be one of the most interesting in her life, but honestly she couldn't wait to see what all happened. "Yeah; definitely."

"Awesome! You won't regret it!" He kissed her and then stepped back and appeared more tentative. "Would I be pushing my luck if I asked you to do the other thing I was going to ask last night?"

She arched a skeptical eyebrow at him. "Which is…?"

"Will you come with me to Black Pawn's Christmas party this weekend?"

A work Christmas party for her boyfriend's employer was hardly the most shocking invitation. Actually, she should have anticipated it, but Black Pawn was hardly an ordinary employer, which gave her concern. "Is this like…a fancy party?"

"I guess."

As his reply didn't help her she asked, "Is it black tie? How fancy should I dress?"

He shrugged. "It's fancy-ish, but there's no need for a ball gown or anything. I'm sure you have something that will be fine."

She laughed; if only he was inside her head as she mentally scanned her closet. "I really don't; I have mostly pantsuits, but I can come up with something, I'm sure." Last minute shopping ten days before Christmas? Yeah, that was going to be a blast, but something told her that her mother would jump at the chance to tag along.

"Great! We'll discuss the details tonight at dinner!" With that, Castle kissed her and said his goodbyes to Kate and her mother.

Once he was gone, her mother came out of her office and leaned against the doorway as she gazed knowingly at her daughter. Feeling the hairs on the back of her neck prickle, Kate sat down at her desk and asked as casually as she could, "What?"

"You tell me."

"There's nothing to tell. We had a little fight, we made up, and now I'm spending Christmas Eve with them." Kate had hoped her factual review of the situation would placate her mother, but from the growing smirk on Johanna's face it did not. "What?" Kate asked again, a little more impatient.

"Do you love him?"

A small squeak escaped Kate's lips. "Wh-why are you asking that?"

Johanna merely shrugged. "I'm curious."

"I…" Kate's voice drifted off as she wasn't entirely sure how to respond. Did she love Castle? Deep down, if she was truly honest with herself, the answer would have been an unwavering yes. She did love him, and had for quite some time, but that love came with no small amount of nervousness, no small amount of trepidation, which caused her to be hesitant to speak it aloud, especially when it felt so peculiar when compared to the other two men she had been in love with during her thirty years.

Laughing to herself, she began to speak her thoughts aloud. "It's so ridiculous…and stupid. I've been in relationships before; I've been married. I always thought I would be able to see the signs—like reading the facts of a case—and in the past I had. I thought I knew what to expect and how I'd feel, but this? This is so different…" The butterflies and the chills—those were still there, but also different somehow. Before, in relationships love was comforting and satisfying. Castle still brought her comfort, but her feelings for him also involved excitement and anticipation. And, contrary to her previous serious relationships, no small amount of annoyance.

Johanna stepped forward and said, "That's not a bad thing."

"No, I know. I know. It's just surprising and I'm not always the best with surprises. And...oh god its so awful." Kate groaned and covered her face with her hands, stunned she was about to say the words aloud no matter how true they were. "It's to the point now where even the really, really annoying things that he does I find completely adorable and I hate myself for it."

Johanna laughed loudly and Kate looked up at her before beginning to laugh as well. It really was absurd. Castle could grate on her very last nerve, but somehow at the end of it all she'd always end up laughing. "It's totally true. Like, he makes us celebrate every food holiday. Ridiculous. I mean, who even knew there was holiday for deviled eggs?"

The first time he'd brought up National Bacon Lovers day back in August, she thought he was making it up until he showed her the website that listed all the absurd—and completely fake sounding—food holidays. Sure, she'd heard of some of them like National Donut Day, but others were downright insane. Further still, just because someone somewhere had decreed the day a bizarre holiday did not mean a grown man needed to celebrate it with such furor. Yet, Castle was no ordinary man (and how much he was actually "grown" was continually in question.)

"Saturday is National Maple Syrup Day. He says we're having syrup covered or infused foods for every meal." She laughed and shook her head. "I mean...who does that? He's ridiculous."

"But..." Johanna led.

With an ever-growing smile Kate said, "I kind of can't wait to see what he comes up with even though I'm not sure I'll eat it." Rolling her eyes, laughing, and making noises of disgust were almost guaranteed to happen. Yet, if one thing was indisputably true about the writer it was that his creativity was boundless. He never ceased to amaze her and turned virtually everything they did together into an adventure. She even amazed herself at how much she couldn't get enough of him sometimes. It was for that reason—though certainly not the only reason—that she fell in love with him.

* * *

 _A/N: First and foremost i must thank everyone so, so, so much for their reviews/follows - you guys are awesome._

 _Unfortunately this fic is winding down. 2 more chapters + an epilogue, but the good news is that means my second Ficathon story will be starting July 9th and I'm pleased to announce that **A Light in the Dark** involves Kate, Rick, and the apocalypse. Hope to see you there!_


	11. January

**January 1st**

"3…2…1…Happy New Year!"

Castle, Kate, and Alexis cheered along with those they watched on screen packed tightly into Times Square to watch the ball drop. Castle kissed his girlfriend quickly before leaning over to give his daughter a hug and a peck on the cheek. Then, the trio settled back to watch the pounds of confetti fall from the sky and to listen to the band rocking the New Year celebration in style.

Relaxing back against the couch, Castle reflected on the prior calendar year and the year ahead as he liked to do. All in all, the past year had been an excellent one, mostly thanks to the lovely lawyer cuddled against him. Twelve months earlier he was a writer without inspiration and no future writing prospects in sight. Even for him it was hard to believe how much he'd been transformed by the incredible Beckett family he'd met nine short months earlier.

In September, his publisher had set the goal for him to finish the inaugural tale of Nikki Heat by the end of the year. At the time, Castle had found the deadline comfortable, but as fall began he struggled with the middle part of Nikki's tale. The character was well developed, yet something still felt off; he believed something to be missing. Late one night as he tossed and turned, battling the insomnia brought on by the stress of forcing out a story that wasn't clicking, he caught sight the beautiful woman sound asleep beside him and a lightbulb went on in his mind.

As much as Nikki Heat's story was inspired by Kate, it was also inspired by them. The part of the story that was missing—the part that would turn it from a good story into an amazing one—was a piece of himself. Thus, the character of Jameson Rook was born. Introduced towards the middle of the novel, Rook is a journalist researching and meddling in Heat's latest case. At first he drives her crazy, but by the end a bond—and romance—forms.

Despite the rewrites needed, Castle did manage to complete the novel by the December thirty-first deadline and while he knew more editing and perhaps some reworking would be necessary, he could honestly say he was proud of the story. He hoped Kate would be as well once she read the finalized version. She had yet to read but a small portion of it, and was not entirely aware of Rook's character, which he'd done intentionally, hoping to surprise her with it. As promised, she would read the first copy from the publishers and though that would not be for at least a few months, he couldn't wait.

"Well, I think I'm about done." Alexis announced half an hour into the New Year. Turning towards her couch-mates, she said, "Thanks for letting me hang out with you guys—and thanks for not making it gross."

Castle gasped, feigning offence. "Gross? Who would be gross?"

"You."

He gasped again, more dramatically that time. "Me? Never. Unless you think this is gross." With that, he turned to Kate and dragged his tongue over her cheek until she shrieked, "Rick!" while Alexis groaned, "Dad!"

While Castle laughed, his daughter shook her head and stood, wishing them both a goodnight.

"Goodnight, Alexis; happy new year," Kate said. Only once the girl had ascended the stairs did Kate turn to her companion and hiss, "I cannot believe you just licked me."

Castle shrugged. In the grand scheme of things, he thought cheek-licking was pretty tame compared to other things he could have done. Besides, he defended, "I was in the moment."

She rolled her eyes and settled back against the couch, though noticeably a few inches further away from him. "Uh huh."

Castle's eyes turned back towards the TV screen where revelers were beginning to reluctantly make their way out of Times Square now that the celebration was coming to an end. This sight reminded him of their conversation from earlier during which he told the PG-rated versions of his two Times Square on New Year's Eve experiences one of which took place when he was eighteen; the other when he was twenty-three. "I still can't believe you've never done Times Square for New Year's Eve –it's like a rite of passage," he said to his companion.

A snort of laughter escaped her lips. "Yeah, a rite to be miserable. I'm much happier right here."

When she reached over and squeezed his arm, he closed his hand over hers, a smile growing on his face. "Well I can't really argue with that." As fun as Times Square had been in his younger days, he could not complain about Kate's choice of staying in, drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows, and snuggling together. He'd take a night like that any time over just about anything else.

A moment later she stood from the couch and brushed her lips against his forehead as she made her way towards the bathroom tucked beneath the stairs. As he watched her go, Castle's forehead tingled from the ghost of her lips and his heart fluttered pleasantly in his chest. She was incredible, and amazed him more and more every day.

Their Christmas Eve together had been nothing short of perfection. Yes, he could tell she was a bit wary of some of the more outlandish Castle family traditions at first, but she soon blended in perfectly with the rest of them. Each time she laughed and her eyes sparkled Castle became more and more convinced. She was it; she was the woman he would marry and spend the rest of his life with. He loved her and it was time he was no longer afraid to tell her how he felt—they both deserved to have the truth out in the open.

When Kate returned to the couch and sat beside him, his nervousness for her response caused him to blurt out clumsily, "So now that Alexis is gone I want to start the New Year out right."

Kate's brow wrinkled. "That's kind of an odd way to ask me to have sex."

"What? No." No, he wasn't suggesting sex—not yet anyway. "I wasn't going to ask you to have sex; I was going to tell you I love you."

Kate's brow rose and she leaned an inch away from him. Immediately, fear clutched Castle's heart in its talons and imagined how unromantic and ineloquent his words must have sounded. _Way to go, idiot_ , he chastised himself. Attempting some quick damage control, he scooted closer to her and reached out for one of her hands. "I love you, Kate. I've loved you for a while, probably since the summer, but I was afraid to tell you because I thought you'd be upset."

Her brow wrinkled. "Why would I be upset about that?"

He groaned. "Because, you know, you were easing into this whole post-divorce relationship thing and I dunno, maybe it was silly." He shook his head, now second guessing everything since she did not appear to be shying away from him, but growing progressively more amused as he stumbled through explaining himself. "But the truth is: spending the holidays with you this year was amazing and I wanted to start this New Year out being one hundred percent honest. I love you, Kate."

She looped her arms around his neck and gave him a sweet kiss. "I love you, too, Castle."

His heart did a summersault in his chest as he excitedly replied, "Yeah?"

She smiled and moved her hands so they cupped his jaw. Brushing her thumbs against his cheeks she said, "Of course, Rick. How could I not?"

Castle opened his mouth to joke around about his less-than-loveable qualities, but then thought better of it; he didn't want to ruin their happy moment by putting his foot in his mouth. Instead, he kissed her and bumped their foreheads together. They sat that way for just a few moments before Kate pulled back grinning. She grabbed onto his hand and tugged him off the couch while making her intentions clear. "C'mon let's go celebrate the New Year the right way."

As he had no basis for argument, Castle happily followed.

* * *

Much later on January first, Kate Beckett awoke with a shiver. Their enthusiastic celebration had worn her out so much she'd broken her cardinal rule for colder months: don't fall asleep naked. Despite her boyfriend producing ample amounts of body heat, she was still not quite warm enough sleeping in the nude now that the chill of winter had settled in. Especially since Castle did not heat the loft to excess owing to the fact that he was usually warm.

Cautiously, to expose as little of her bare skin to the chilled apartment air as she could, Kate reached for her pajamas sitting on the chair just a few feet away from the bed. Her arms were not quite long enough to grasp the fabric so she reluctantly had to slide out of the sheets, pull on her pajama pants and long sleeve shirt as speedily as she could, and then glide back into her still-warm resting spot.

With this task completed, Kate gazed over to her companion and almost laughed. Castle lay flat on his back still sound asleep. His jaw hung open a few inches and he snored softly. Generally, he only slept that way when he was completely exhausted. Considering their fun from the early morning, Kate could proudly say she was the one who had exhausted him. They certainly had picked the best way to ring in the New Year.

Kate tucked her left arm beneath her head and rolled to her side so she could watch her boyfriend as he slept. As she spent the majority of her nights at the loft now, Kate was no stranger to watching the writer sleep. She almost always woke up before him and would often take a few moments in the morning to watch his eyes flutter while he dreamed or to gaze at the freckles still dotting his temples from the bad sunburn he'd received during an unseasonably warm October weekend in the Hamptons.

Watching him, the smile grew on her face at the memory of their post-midnight confessions. Castle loved her; they were in love.

His love for her was not at all a surprise. Her mother had, after all, point out how smitten he was on dozens of occasions, but the confirmation was perfect. Some days she was utterly amazed at how far they'd come in not quite a year—heck, how far they'd come in just six months—but despite her tendency to question and analyze everything, she tried her best not to. They loved each other and were happy, and that was the most important thing.

With her body now warm with the added layers of clothing, Kate began to doze once more and lay still on her back for the better part of ten minutes before her companion began to stir. He grumbled and grunted, fighting the waking-up process like a toddler would until he'd turned himself onto his side and flopped an arm over her stomach. Smiling softly, Kate placed both her hands atop his forearm and began to lazily brush her thumbs against his flesh.

Within a few minutes Castle had fully woken up and grunted a good morning to her. She returned the sentiments before opening her eyes and looking over at him. Though his eyes were still puffy with sleep, he was grinning at her and her heart fluttered. Yeah, she could definitely see herself waking up the same way every morning of the coming year.

"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout?" he asked before yawning.

"Nothing."

"Yeah it's something. You look all serious—better not be a case this early in the mo'nin," he said, yawning again.

She let out a breathy laugh. "No, not a case. I was…I was thinking about us, actually."

Castle's expression brightened. "Us? What about us?"

She turned her head so more of her face was buried against the pillow. "You'll think it's silly." _She_ thought it was silly, if she was being entirely honest, but that morning reminded her of one many weeks earlier. Given its significance, she was surprised it didn't cross her mind often. Then again, she'd suppressed her feelings for the man beside her far longer than she should have; far longer than she needed to.

In hindsight, all her fears with regards to their relationship felt absurd. She was nervous because of how different Castle made her feel, but that was the precise reason she should not have been. He seemed different because he was. He awakened parts of her she didn't even remember existed and made her far happier than any man ever had.

"I bet I won't. C'mon." He encouraged, skimming his hand down her side.

Peeking up at him from behind a hand shielding part of her face, Kate confessed, "I was thinking about the moment I realized I was in love with you."

If possible, Castle's grin grew even larger. He tucked his arm beneath his head and leaned in a bit closer. "Oh yeah I definitely want to hear this."

She shook her head, regretting she mentioned it. "No it's really dumb…"

"Kate."

At his whine, she pressed her lips together and considered her story carefully. Throughout their relationship there had been so many moments where she'd realized time and time again that she was in love with him. Pinpointing one specific point in time was difficult. How could she choose between the times he made her laugh until her stomach muscles burned and the tears rolled down her cheeks or one of the times he brought her coffee and kissed her on the cheek for no reason other than bringing a smile to her face? She loved the way he would grab her hand and hold it just so they were physically connected to each other. And at night when they were lying in bed reviewing their days, he would always make her feel better about whatever was bothering her. She knew, though, that there had been one specific instance she'd thought those three little words to herself for the first time.

"It was…late October—the last week I think. You probably don't even remember this, but you came over for us to have a date, but one of my clients had just brought me new information on their case and I was entrenched, per usual. I was so distracted I barely realized you went to bed…must have been two a.m. by the time I got there. When I woke up, I was grumpy and ready to have a day when I was going to be snippy with everyone and then…" She paused as a smile spread across her face at the memory of the moment. "You walked into my room with a tray of waffles and gave me breakfast in bed and when I asked you why you said, 'Because it's Tuesday,' and then you kissed my head and walked away. And that's when I knew."

Kate met Castle's gaze and gave a small laugh at the dopey expression on his face. Really, it was quite silly that that moment of all moments was _the moment_ but it was. He had been there to brighten her morning without ever being asked—without ever needing to be asked. And his reasoning had been so absurdly simple—not, 'well I know you had a late night' or 'I want you to start the day off right'—but stupid, crazy simple and that's what warmed her heart the most. "It's ridiculous—it doesn't even make sense to me—but I sat there and thought. 'This man is crazy and I love him.'"

Castle leaned over and kissed her before saying, "Now why would I think that's dumb? That was a great story! I love hearing how wonderful I am!"

Kate groaned. "Castle…" Look at that, five seconds later she was back to being annoyed by him. Which, as she thought about it, seemed about average for his turnaround time.

"Kidding. Kate. I love making your day brighter. Speaking of…waffles? Pancakes? Bacon? Eggs? All of the above?" he asked as he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

She pushed herself up and arched her back in a stretch. "Waffles seem appropriate…maybe with some bacon."

He winked. "You got it."

Before he could take more than three steps towards the kitchen she stopped him by saying, "I can help."

He turned. "I know you can, but I like making you breakfast. Besides, you have to go back to work tomorrow, but I just met my deadline and have at least a week off before they get back to me so just lay back, relax, and let the man you love take care of you."

Kate smiled as she watched him go. Though he could be over the top sometimes, she could not deny the man had great ideas; this was absolutely one of them.

* * *

 _A/N: Reminder - final chapter & epilogue will be posted this week. New fic next saturday! Thanks!_


	12. February

**February 12th**

Sliding into the back of the black town car after his girlfriend, Castle could not help but sigh dreamily to himself; the night had been quite magical. He leaned forward and informed their driver of the correct address before sitting back and reaching for his seatbelt. Once it was fastened, he gazed over at the lovely woman beside him: her hair once so perfectly swept back now beginning to fall in curls around her face, her eyes expressing a tiredness, but bright in his reflection all the same, and her sexy as hell red ball gown looking just as amazing as ever. He was, for perhaps the thousandth time, completely intoxicated by her.

Maybe it was the champagne talking, but he didn't think so. As he held her in his arms on the dance floor and they swayed to the music, he'd felt it stronger than ever. He wanted to hold her close every day for the rest of his life. He wanted to be her partner in everything. He wanted to go all in then and there and for a moment he almost did, before the cliché of a Valentine's Day—well, time of year—proposal hit him and he thought better of it.

Really, it had been Alexis that put the bug in his ear. Castle had been completely taken off guard by her innocent question that morning while he made the eggs and she cut up the fruit. "Are you going to propose to Kate?" did not quite fit with, "Pass the orange juice," and "did you want one piece of toast or two?" Still, the question was out there and required an answer.

When they sat down with their food, Castle had been honest with his daughter. He told her he more than likely had intentions to propose to Kate. In fact, at that point he couldn't imagine her not being in their lives, but he was not going to propose to her at the Cardiac Research Foundation's Valentine's Ball. He and Kate had not yet known each other a full year and she for certain wasn't in a rush to get married again—not that he was by any stretch. They were committed to each other and that was enough. Alexis was satisfied with that response and Castle thought he had been as well—until he'd felt her body perfectly melded into his and then the words were poised on his lips just daring him to let them out.

Ultimately, it was good he didn't propose since a moment later their dance was interrupted by the ear-splitting sound of a waiter dropping a tray of champagne glasses. They'd abruptly stopped swaying, made sure nothing catastrophic had been damaged, chuckled and then wrapped their arms around each other once more. Castle had kissed her head, told her he loved her and felt her squeeze him a little tighter. The moment had made his heart swell, just like she did every day.

"Thanks again for coming with me tonight," he said as he skimmed his hand over her lap and squeezed her thigh.

"Thanks for inviting me."

"Well, I was going to ask that blonde from the Starbucks but—AH! Hey!" He whined when she elbowed him sharply in the ribs. "You know I'm kidding Kate; you're always my date of choice. Unless it involves Harry Potter—then, legally, I have to take Alexis; it's in our father-daughter contract."

She laughed. "Well, you know I'd never go against a legally binding agreement."

"Of course." He squeezed her leg again and said, "But you had fun, right?" Other than Black Pawn's Christmas party, the Valentine's Ball had been the only other fancy event they'd attended together. Castle was no stranger to dressing up in a tuxedo and attending an event where pressing flesh was a requirement, but he knew those types of happenings were outside Kate's comfort zone. She preferred a night in, and as long as he was beside her he had no problem with that. Still, as a moderately famous person, he had obligations and he hoped in the future she would be the one on his arm at each of them.

"I don't know if I could do it every weekend, but sure, it was fun. Honestly, though, I can't wait to get out of this dress." She laughed and shifted in her seat while her nose wrinkled.

"Well, honestly, I can't wait to get you out of it either." He husked at her before pressing his lips against her cheek. She flashed him a grin that shot right down his spine and into his groin. God, she was incredible. Why the hell was it going to take them fifteen more blocks to get home? His next donation definitely had to be to whoever was working on the invention of flying personal transport vehicles. Or teleportation.

"Oh boy." Kate groaned the moment her foot hit the sidewalk in front of Castle's loft. She hadn't noticed it while they were at the event, but sitting in the car must have reset the feelings in her toes because standing out of the town car was excruciating on the balls of her feet.

"What is it?" Castle asked as he took her hand.

"My feet hurt; guess I'm getting old."

The writer laughed. "If you're getting old, what does that make me?"

Kate smirked over at him. "Ancient." At his unappreciative look, Kate laughed and allowed him to lead the way to the elevator.

Despite the ache in her feet and the pinch in her skin from an uncomfortable dress zipper, Kate had to admit the evening was enjoyable. Well, any evening with her boyfriend was enjoyable, but she particularly liked seeing him in that sort of setting. It was not too often she spent time in the presence of Richard Castle, famous mystery writer, and while had a tendency to ham it up and draw attention to himself, when he was in a small group of people or particularly if one or two people approached him, he was so gracious and genuine about their kind words it made her fall in love with him all over again. He was incredible and she never tired of seeing each incredible side of him.

Walking into the loft, the duo was met by Alexis, who had been seated on the couch dressed in her pajamas and wearing her lime green plush robe along with fuzzy slippers that made it seem as though sharks were about to bite her feet off at the ankles (a Christmas gift from her father, naturally). Kate was stuck by an oddly familial sensation as the girl approached, her red hair gathered in a messy bun at the crown of her head. She could see a similar scenario a decade into the future when they were coming home to their own boy or girl who had waited up for them. Perhaps it was due to her nervousness sensors being dulled by the champagne, but this image didn't scare her; it made her smile.

"How was the party? Was it like prom?" the teen asked them.

"Actually, I didn't go to my prom." Kate replied.

"Why not?" Alexis asked while the writer exclaimed a surprised, "Really?"

Kate glanced at them both before nodding. "Yeah, I was in my high school rebel phase and too cool for something so organized and traditional—I went to a poetry slam instead."

While Castle nodded and drifted off towards the kitchen, Alexis tilted her head and asked, "Do you regret it?"

Kate merely shrugged. She recalled laughing about it at the time—thinking about all those who thought going to prom was _so awesome_ whereas she was too sophisticated; she wasn't a high school aged teen, but a young adult. She honestly could not remember a time even years later when she regretted not going. "Um…not really. I guess it's a rite of passage for some, but once you're an adult prom was just a dance."

Alexis sighed and Kate suspected she may have hurt the girl's feelings some, so she reached out her hand and stroked Alexis's arm adding, "But if you want to go, you absolutely should."

"I really just want to get the dress." She confessed and they laughed together. Taking a step closer, Alexis asked her, "Will you come with Gran and me to help me pick it out?"

Though she fought it, Kate was certain an expression of surprise crossed her face. Alexis wanted her to join in prom dress shopping. While certainly not the most ground breaking of invitations, it was the first time they would be doing something together outside of the loft when Castle was not also in attendance. As their relationship was progressing, this was a natural step, and of course who could resist some shopping particularly when it came to the Castle family's seemingly limitless budget. "Sure, if you want me to."

Alexis shrugged. "Yeah I think it'll be…" but her voice drifted off when her father returned from the kitchen. He held a red can of whipped cream tilted upside down while he sprayed white foam into his mouth.

Shaking her head like she was about to scold her child for ruining his dinner with candy, Kate asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm hungry." He defended with a mumble due to his stuffed mouth. "The fancier the event, the less food they feed you—it's so unfortunate. Want some?"

As she had never been a fan of desserts from a can, Kate shook her head. "I'll refrain, thanks."

"Alexis?"

The red head also refused. "On my way to bed. Night guys." She gave both Kate and her father a one armed hug before hurrying up the stairs.

Kate hoisted the skirt to her dress and began walking towards Castle's bedroom when from the corner of her eye she spotted that not only was he following her, but he was still spraying the white fluff into his mouth. "Aren't you gonna put that back?"

His reply was as casual as ever. "Not if we're going to use it."

Kate stopped walking abruptly and dropped her hands to her sides. "Castle I'm exhausted and my feet hurt – now is really not the time to eat whipped cream from my body."

Despite her negative answer, he grinned. "But there will be a time for that in the future, won't there?"

Despite the fact that she shook her head with irritation, Kate couldn't stop herself from smiling. He was just so ridiculous and intoxicating even if part of her did want to smack him. She had made it thirty years without anyone licking sticky foods from her body, but somehow she suspected Castle would make that event one to remember, so she shrugged and continued into the bedroom. "If you play your cards right."

"Sweet!"

Laughing lightly to herself, Kate stepped up in front of the mirror atop the dresser so she could remove the fancy ruby earrings she'd borrowed from Castle's mother for the event. According to Martha, the diamond studs Castle gave her for Christmas were simply too plain for such a fancy, gala event. Unfortunately, she realized as the night went on, the larger and gaudier the earrings, the heavier they were. As she unpinned them, she grimaced and wondered if it was possible for earlobes to bruise.

A moment later, Castle stepped up behind her, set his whipped cream on the dresser and asked if she wanted him to get the zipper on the back of her dress. When she confirmed, he eased the zipper down and said, "You know actually I had a thought…"

Glancing up, Kate caught his eye using the reflection in the mirror. "Does it involve a different food on my naked body?" she asked with a notable annoyed edge to her voice.

He chuckled. "No. I was thinking that maybe you should move in here. I mean…we spend most nights together—we have since Christmas. Before that it was more nights than not. Just seems like the next step." Though he finished with a casual shrug, his tone indicated much more serious intentions.

Kate let out a long exhale and turned around to face him. She took a moment to form her response before giving it. Honestly, his question had surprised her. Yes, what he said was true, but Christmas had barely been six weeks prior and they hadn't even been dating that long before that. While her answer was not going to be yes, she also didn't want him to think she thought less of their relationship in any way. Gently, she began, "Castle we've only been dating a few months…"

He took a half step back. "A few months? By my calculations it's more like seven. Right?"

Seven months meaning he considered them dating from that first night they slept together. Seeing as neither had been with another in that time period, she could see his basis for argument, but in Kate's mind he was once again seeing the world through rose colored glasses. In those late summer months they were just having fun and not anything serious so, in her mind, they could not count towards actual relationship time.

"Kate." He reached out his hands and gently slipped them around her upper arms when she'd been silent for almost a full minute. Tilting his head he smiled sweetly at her. "I love you. I want to wake up every morning beside you, make you breakfast and annoy you while you're getting ready for work. But if you don't think you're ready …"

Kate couldn't help but laugh at his final statement. He did annoy her almost every morning she left for work from the loft. It was almost incredible how he could come up with a different way to irritate her almost every day. Yet, as she had spent the better part of her adult life as someone who greeted each morning with a grumble and grunted her way through those early hours until the coffee kicked in, she could not exactly say she minded that he was a caffeine-free way to start her day happy.

"Oh, Rick of course I love you, but…I need a little more time for that. Why don't you ask me again in a few months?"

He grinned, kissed her forehead, and pulled his iPhone from his pants pocket. "I'm putting it in my calendar right now!" Then, as he tapped away at the phone with his right thumb, he used his left hand to grab the whipped cream bottle, spray one last glob into his mouth, and walk out of the bedroom, presumably to return it to the refrigerator.

As she watched him go, Kate snagged her bottom lip with her teeth and shook her head; he was completely insane. Turning back to her reflection in the mirror, the brightness and joy on her face caught her almost off-guard, and a peculiar sensation formed in her stomach. Inexplicably, in that moment it hit her and she knew without any doubt.

Richard Castle was the man she would marry. For better or worse, in sickness or health, she was his for the rest of her days as was he hers. Together they would have children, raise a family, and spent evenings together on the couch licking whipped cream out of a red metal can. They would laugh and cry and love.

And she couldn't wait.


	13. November (Epilogue)

**November 12th**

"Thanks for coming with me–I know you're not big on these fan events."

Kate smiled over at her well-dressed companion as they walked down the Manhattan sidewalk from where their town car had dropped them off. She looped her arm around his and squeezed it. Okay, so fan meet-and-greets were not her favorite activity, but she didn't completely dislike them per-say. More so, she felt out of place and awkward. "It's not that. I just always feel like the third wheel. No one wants me there."

"I want you there."

She smiled even broader. "Besides you."

The even they were about to attend seemed one of the more interesting ones of late. Instead of having hundreds of fans line up to have Castle autograph his latest and, in Kate's bias mind, best novel, _Heat Wave_ , the setting would be more intimate. Evidently, there had been a fan contest run for winning a dinner with Richard Castle. Kate was surprised when he had told her about it a few weeks earlier because had not realized the publisher was running such an event, but apparently they were to dine with three couples. Kate viewed this even as having one major plus: unlike the other events, this one would have wine.

When Castle slowed their walk, Kate glanced up at the restaurant marquee and did a double take. "Hey wait—isn't this the restaurant where we met?"

It had been twenty months earlier that they met, but only eight since they'd last dined there as Castle had insisted they have their one-year-since-we-met celebration there.

As Castle pulled open the door he said, "Yeah, didn't I tell you?"

"No…" she said, her voice drifting off. He actually hadn't told her much about anything that evening, as it happened. He claimed not to know where they were eating or the names of the couples they would be meeting. At the time, she'd merely brushed it off as his lack of attention to detail, but suddenly it seemed very suspicious; like he was hiding something from her.

"Well, this is where we're eating. Not very fancy, I know, but Black Pawn didn't want to spring for a dinner at Jean Georges or anything…"

"Right but-" Kate stopped both her speech and walking abruptly when she caught sight of the inside of the restaurant. It was completely empty save three tables centrally located in the dining area, each draped with white table cloths with single long-stem red roses in vases in the middle.

Okay. Yep. Something was definitely going on.

"Castle," she said, turning to him. For the first time, she noticed he looked a little nervous. "Why is this restaurant empty? What's going on?"

"Guess we're the first ones here?" Though he'd clearly meant the words to come out as a statement, the uptick of his voice at the end made it sound like a question. Kate was officially calling bullshit.

"Castle."

"Don't be mad."

Oh, great, she thought, folding her arms over her chest. The absolute easiest way to elevate her irritation. "Why would I get mad? Are we not meeting contest winners here tonight?" Suddenly, that poorly described event was feeling like a ruse."

"No."

"Then why are we here?"

"Because twenty months ago I walked into this restaurant and my life changed forever."

He stepped around in front of her, reached out for her hand and held it delicately in his. Kate's jaw dropped. Was he—oh god—it sounded like—but would he—they'd barely been dating a year! Living together only four months!

"Kate," he continued as her heart began to race, "you are the most extraordinary person I've ever met and it's been a privilege getting to know you and falling in love with you. I was going to do this sooner—months ago, really, but I know you wanted to take things slow and that was fine with me, but, Kate, I just can't wait any longer."

Now grinning, he grasped her left hand in his right and lowered himself to one knee before her. Using his left hand he dipped two fingers into the pocket of his blazer and pulled out a white gold ring with one of the largest solitary diamonds she'd ever seen. "Katherine Houghton Beckett, will you marry me?"

Practically rendered speechless, Kate nodded her head and croaked out a, "Yes! Yes of course!" as he slid the ring onto her left fourth finger. Engaged! She and Castle were engaged! They had talked about it—their future—on her first official night living at the loft. He asked her when she saw herself getting married again, if she wanted children and how many. She happily answered with him in mind, but his proposal had completely blindsided her, which, in a way, spoke to how incredible he was.

The moment the ring was secured on her finger, she grabbed his hand and pulled him up so she could kiss him, hug him, and tell him how much she loved him. In that moment, she had never been happier.

* * *

"I love you, too." Castle sighed into the neck of his fiancée—his fiancée!—as she squeezed her body tightly against his. A breathy laugh escaped his lips at pure relief. He'd thought his plans were quite brilliant up until the point where Kate was beginning to figure things out. But the proposal had gone off more or less without a hitch. The champagne hadn't been poured and they weren't in the exact right spot so their hidden guests could see, but his ring was on her finger and that was all that mattered.

Dropping another kiss onto her neck, he pulled back and said, "C'mon," before pulling her towards the center of the room.

"Where are we going?" she asked with a half-laugh, brushing a few stray tears from her left cheek, her new accessory glinting in the light.

"To celebrate." He answered simply.

The moment they stepped up to the decorated tables, Kate's parents, his mother and Alexis flooded out from their hiding spot in an adjoining room. Kate was once again rendered speechless from shock as they all exchanged hugs, tears, and well wishes.

"I'm just so, so happy for you sweetheart!" Johanna gushed to her daughter before reaching out and grabbing the hand of her future son-in-law. "For both of you! You have no idea!"

Castle squeezed her hand and nodded. He did, actually, have an idea, for when he whet to the Becketts to ask their permission to marry Kate, Johanna had broken down similarly. She expressed her joy that her daughter was happier than she ever imagined, and that the simple fact that she won a fan contest had changed all of their lives forever.

As he reflected on it, Castle realized how right Johanna was. Were it not for Johanna entering the contest and winning, he might never have met Kate, the love of his life, and they would not be embarking on the rest of their lives together. It was for that reason he knew there had to be a higher power at work for them all—a higher power that brought them together.

"C'mon everyone—grab a glass and let's make a toast," Martha said as she waved a waiter over to assist in pouring five glasses of champagne and one sparkling cider.

Castle slid his arm around Kate's shoulders and pressed his lips against her head. She leaned in and asked, "What should we toast to?"

"To family," he said. "And forever."

With a smile she nodded. "I'll definitely toast to that."

* * *

 _A/N: thank you all so, so much for your reviews and follows. I'm so glad everyone enjoyed this story!_

 _Next up: Castle, Beckett & the apocalypse - see you Saturday!_


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